Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between pharmaceutical scientists 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 pharmaceutical scientist and a research scientist. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $79,535 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical scientist.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical scientist include dosage forms, pharmaceutical sciences and formulation development. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,535 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $38.24 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 45,560 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Pharmaceutical scientists must have master's degrees or doctorates in pharmacology, chemistry, biology, anatomy, or math. Paid around $86K per year, those who choose this career path perform drug discovery research, development, and testing. They also execute experiments for system-based research projects aimed at introducing new drugs to the marketplace.
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.
Pharmaceutical scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $79,535 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $115,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BASi | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.1% 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% |