Process chemist vs senior chemist

The differences between process chemists and senior chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior chemist has an average salary of $91,008, which is higher than the $81,542 average annual salary of a process chemist.

The top three skills for a process chemist include lab equipment, HPLC and R. The most important skills for a senior chemist are method development, laboratory equipment, and HPLC.

Process chemist vs senior chemist overview

	Process Chemist	Senior Chemist
Yearly salary	$81,542	$91,008
Hourly rate	$39.20	$43.75
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	29,813	12,823
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

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 a senior chemist do?

Senior Chemists are responsible for designing, developing, and testing formulations and compounds. They also maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and relevant documentation.

Process chemist vs senior chemist salary

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

	Process Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average salary	$81,542	$91,008
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $121,000	Between $67,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	Wilmington, DE	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Vermont
Best paying company	Bio-Rad Laboratories	Google
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between process chemist and senior chemist education

There are a few differences between a process chemist and a senior chemist in terms of educational background:

	Process Chemist	Senior Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Process chemist vs senior chemist demographics

Here are the differences between process chemists' and senior chemists' demographics:

	Process Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 22.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between process chemist and senior chemist 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.

Senior chemist example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Conduct GC-MS, TGA, and FTIR, UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis of extractables and elemental impurities.
Develop Simethicone assay method by FT-IR in liquid dosage.
Used EPA methods for actinide, technetium, strontium, and tritium determination.
Prepare submission documentation, including CMC sections, for IDE and PMA submissions.
Supervise mobile lab team of analysts at various EPA super fund site locations for PCB and halo-hydrocarbons analysis testing.

Process chemist vs senior chemist skills

Common process chemist skills

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

Common senior chemist skills

Method Development, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Methods, 5%
R, 4%
GMP, 4%

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Process Chemist
Process Chemist vs Senior Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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