Principal chemist vs research chemist

The differences between principal chemists and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research chemist has an average salary of $75,843, which is higher than the $74,065 average annual salary of a principal chemist.

The top three skills for a principal chemist include analytical chemistry, R and product development. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.

Principal chemist vs research chemist overview

	Principal Chemist	Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$74,065	$75,843
Hourly rate	$35.61	$36.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	42,121	53,769
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a principal chemist do?

Principal chemists require a bachelor's or master's degree, or even a doctorate, with a post-doctoral fellowship to gain hands-on experience doing research and chemistry, math, science, communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. They will be expected to conduct quantitative and qualitative experiments on chemical substances for quality control, as well as develop new products or knowledge about said products, and conduct a battery of experiments on organic and inorganic compounds.

What does a research chemist do?

A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies. Their research findings can be used to create new medicines, enhance existing products, and lead to innovations. When it comes to employment, a research chemist may work for pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories, government agencies, and learning institutions.

Principal chemist vs research chemist salary

Principal chemists and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Chemist	Research Chemist
Average salary	$74,065	$75,843
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $105,000	Between $53,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Richland, WA	McLean, VA
Highest paying state	Washington	Virginia
Best paying company	Edwards Lifesciences	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between principal chemist and research chemist education

There are a few differences between a principal chemist and a research chemist in terms of educational background:

	Principal Chemist	Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Principal chemist vs research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between principal chemists' and research chemists' demographics:

	Principal Chemist	Research Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 29.2% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between principal chemist and research chemist duties and responsibilities

Principal chemist example responsibilities.

Accomplish ISO and CFR certifications for laboratory operations.
Ensure compliance with regulate standards to comply with FDA regulations.
Train individuals on dissolution, HPLC, and other general analytical techniques.
Implement systems and procedures per FDA guidance, ICH requirements, and CFR regulations.
Establish statistical quality controls in the laboratory to bring data and laboratory practices in compliance with ISO regulations.
Evaluate efficacy of extraction solvents and dosing methodology for soil degradation studies, determining reduction of chemical compounds in control environment.

Research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage the CDS and LIMS systems for the institute.
Manage and record experimental data with lab management software (LIMS).
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Characterize the particles using SEM, DSC, IR, and UV-Vis.
Identify sample structure using microscopy, crystallography, NMR, UV/VIS, GC and AAS.
Develop GC & FTIR instrumental methods of analysis to support quality of incoming raw materials to ensure quality of finish products.

Principal chemist vs research chemist skills

Common principal chemist skills

Analytical Chemistry, 13%
R, 10%
Product Development, 6%
HPLC, 6%
Sops, 5%
USP, 5%

Common research chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Method Development, 10%
R, 9%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Chemistry, 5%
Polymer, 5%

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Principal Chemist vs Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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