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Principal scientist vs quality control chemist

The differences between principal scientists and quality control chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $58,892 average annual salary of a quality control chemist.

The top three skills for a principal scientist include oncology, data analysis and drug discovery. The most important skills for a quality control chemist are QC, HPLC, and lab equipment.

Principal scientist vs quality control chemist overview

Principal ScientistQuality Control Chemist
Yearly salary$119,982$58,892
Hourly rate$57.68$28.31
Growth rate17%6%
Number of jobs80,89990,467
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4142
Years of experience4-

What does a principal scientist do?

A Principal Scientist is focused on leading scientific teams and conducting research. They ensure that their teams have the resources to properly perform research tasks.

What does a quality control chemist do?

A Quality Control Chemist uses chemistry lab skills to test and measure materials, usually in a manufacturing or pharmaceutical field. They analyze samples using scientific equipment, prepare study protocols, collect data, and identify and investigate abnormal test results.

Principal scientist vs quality control chemist salary

Principal scientists and quality control chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal ScientistQuality Control Chemist
Average salary$119,982$58,892
Salary rangeBetween $84,000 And $169,000Between $45,000 And $75,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANorth Kingstown, RI
Highest paying stateCaliforniaVermont
Best paying companyPayPalHallstar
Best paying industryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between principal scientist and quality control chemist education

There are a few differences between a principal scientist and a quality control chemist in terms of educational background:

Principal ScientistQuality Control Chemist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Principal scientist vs quality control chemist demographics

Here are the differences between principal scientists' and quality control chemists' demographics:

Principal ScientistQuality Control Chemist
Average age4142
Gender ratioMale, 76.8% Female, 23.2%Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 21.4% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%5%

Differences between principal scientist and quality control chemist duties and responsibilities

Principal scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Provide development of and line support for assign immunoassay reagents, calibrators and controls.
  • Transfer controls to manufacturing for product launch and include all require studies, testing and documentation under GMP guidelines.
  • Maintain several lab documents for ISO certification.
  • Understand drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and design stable molecules.
  • Image visualization and manipulation of background plates for animation and post-processing.
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Quality control chemist example responsibilities.

  • Manage investigations of out of spec results and complaints in CatsWEB CAPA management system.
  • Verify raw material compliance utilizing ICP, FTIR, and USP wet chemistry methods.
  • Perform analysis utilizing UV/VIS, FTIR, Karl Fischer, and TLC.
  • Perform the potency studies, dissolution, and uniformity, by using HPLC, GC, and UV/VIS.
  • Analyze active ingredients in sunscreens, volatile organics, and preservatives utilizing ICP, GC, NIRS, and HPLC.
  • Execute dissolution and disintegration testing and microbiology testing with compliance requirements within GMP, GLP, and FDA regulatory environments.
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Principal scientist vs quality control chemist skills

Common principal scientist skills
  • Oncology, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Drug Discovery, 5%
  • GMP, 3%
  • Experimental Design, 3%
  • Clinical Trials, 3%
Common quality control chemist skills
  • QC, 9%
  • HPLC, 7%
  • Lab Equipment, 7%
  • GMP, 6%
  • Analytical Methods, 5%
  • UV/Vis, 4%

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