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The differences between pharmaceutical scientists and researchers 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 researcher. Additionally, a pharmaceutical scientist has an average salary of $79,535, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical scientist include dosage forms, pharmaceutical sciences and formulation development. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $79,535 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $38.24 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 45,560 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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.
A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
Pharmaceutical scientists and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $79,535 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $115,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | BASi | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical scientist and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical scientists' and researchers' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |