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The differences between medical science liaisons and research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a medical science liaison and a research scientist. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a medical science liaison include patients, medical affairs and MSL. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Medical Science Liaison | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $145,718 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $70.06 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 57,208 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Medical science liaisons and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Science Liaison | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $145,718 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $359,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jackson, TN | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Tennessee | California |
| Best paying company | Saint Luke's Health System | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a medical science liaison and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Science Liaison | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between medical science liaisons' and research scientists' demographics:
| Medical Science Liaison | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |