Process chemist vs associate scientist

The differences between process chemists and associate scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process chemist has an average salary of $81,542, which is higher than the $76,461 average annual salary of an associate scientist.

The top three skills for a process chemist include lab equipment, HPLC and R. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.

Process chemist vs associate scientist overview

	Process Chemist	Associate Scientist
Yearly salary	$81,542	$76,461
Hourly rate	$39.20	$36.76
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	29,813	54,950
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	-	4

What does a process chemist do?

Process chemists are lab professionals who perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of chemicals in laboratories for quality control or to develop new products. These chemists are required to develop synthetic plans and run experiments to test their suitability for large-scale use. They must use different analytical methods and modeling software to monitor the reaction processes of chemicals as well as determine how changes in the process affect the final product. Process chemists must also be familiar with regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

What does an associate scientist do?

An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.

Process chemist vs associate scientist salary

Process chemists and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Chemist	Associate Scientist
Average salary	$81,542	$76,461
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $121,000	Between $53,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Wilmington, DE	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Bio-Rad Laboratories	Phillips 66
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between process chemist and associate scientist education

There are a few differences between a process chemist and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:

	Process Chemist	Associate Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Process chemist vs associate scientist demographics

Here are the differences between process chemists' and associate scientists' demographics:

	Process Chemist	Associate Scientist
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%	Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 20.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between process chemist and associate scientist duties and responsibilities

Process chemist example responsibilities.

Manage synthesis and production of specialty chemicals for carpet and textile industry.
Support new, modify and existing chemical processes by developing and validating HPLC and GC methods with a rapid turnaround time.
Analyze unknown materials with FTIR, Raman, and SEM-EDS.
Display improving working knowledge of business processes as they relate to GMP manufacturing.
Create titration solution and other solutions such as stock solutions used in analysis.
Show a desire to learn about and understand advance chemistry principles underlying project assignments.

Associate scientist example responsibilities.

Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
Generate crispr knockout STAT1, STAT3 and STAT1 & 3double knockout cell lines.
Use CRISPR technology to create target knockout cell line.
Direct ISO 9000 4.10 team registration activities and perform internal audits.
Prepare stock reagents and buffers for use in manufacturing assay kits.
Confirm the quality of product meet specifications according to cGMP and ICH guidelines.

Process chemist vs associate scientist skills

Common process chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 7%
HPLC, 6%
R, 5%
GMP, 5%
NMR, 4%
Sigma, 4%

Common associate scientist skills

Chemistry, 9%
Patients, 8%
Cell Culture, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
GMP, 4%
Lab Equipment, 3%

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Process Chemist
Process Chemist vs Associate Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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