How To Become A Process Scientist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a process scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Helen Mango Ph.D.

Science, being an evolving field, has brought an exceeding change to how things work. Many inventions and innovations have gained acceptance; they have changed the status quo and brought about a remarkable difference. Process science is an upcoming field of science, and it is gaining prominence in helping us understand the world around us. A process scientist is an individual who studies how energy flows. They study energy and how it moves through a given process to create value.

By understanding and controlling the processes, process scientists help businesses create value and reduce waste. This job involves a great deal of research to discover new methods that can be used for production processes and automation for their efficiency and quality.

You need at least a four-year Bachelor of Science degree and an Advanced Master's degree to qualify as a process scientist. If you can, add a doctorate degree to increase your chances of being hired. A process scientist must have problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and analytical skills.

What general advice would you give to a process scientist?

Helen Mango Ph.D.

Professor of Geology and Chemistry, Castleton University

Emphasize skills learned - field, laboratory, computer, writing.... Also, that geology is multi-disciplinary. It uses chemistry, physics, math, biology, tech.

ScoreProcess ScientistUS Average

Salary

7.2

Avg. Salary $92,203

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.42%

Black or African American 6.33%

Hispanic or Latino 9.55%

Unknown 4.09%

White 53.46%

Gender

female 28.26%

male 71.74%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a process scientist

Explore process scientist education requirements

Most common process scientist degrees

Bachelor's

72.1 %

Master's

17.3 %

Doctorate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific process scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Chemistry	14.82%
GMP	12.93%
Cell Culture	11.60%
Technical Reports	4.20%
HPLC	4.08%

Complete relevant process scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New process scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a process scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real process scientist resumes.

Research process scientist duties and responsibilities

Ensure FDA compliance and minimal negative impact for all projects by managing change control documentation and procedures.
Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Participate in technical transfer activities of API's.
Champion site compliance activities while under FDA consent decree.

Apply for process scientist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a process scientist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams