Production scientist vs staff scientist

The differences between production scientists and staff scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a production scientist and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $77,464 average annual salary of a production scientist.

The top three skills for a production scientist include process improvement, QC and lab equipment. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Production scientist vs staff scientist overview

	Production Scientist	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$77,464	$93,941
Hourly rate	$37.24	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	100,301	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 83%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a production scientist do?

A production scientist analyzes production operations and manufacturing processes to identify gaps, modify current procedures that would increase process efficiency, and maximize optimal performance. Production scientists inspect the tools and materials utilized for the production and oversee research trials for process formulations. They also develop opportunities and design models that support business functions, generating more innovation and increasing more revenue resources for the business. A production scientist writes research findings, manages resources, and determines various process feasibility.

What does a staff scientist do?

The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.

Production scientist vs staff scientist salary

Production scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Scientist	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$77,464	$93,941
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $124,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Beckman Coulter	Etsy
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between production scientist and staff scientist education

There are a few differences between a production scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:

	Production Scientist	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 83%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Production scientist vs staff scientist demographics

Here are the differences between production scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:

	Production Scientist	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 23.3% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between production scientist and staff scientist duties and responsibilities

Production scientist example responsibilities.

Manage a team focuse on genotyping, purification, and quantitation assays, including training of new scientists.
Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
Follow current GMP, GDP and FDA regulations to maintain documentation and improve work instructions.
Extract biological samples and analyze via HPLC and LC/MS/MS analysis in accordance with GLP regulations.
Acquire good laboratory practice (GLP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) in industry.
Direct technology transfer from bench top to pilot scale and then to production scale at CMO.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Production scientist vs staff scientist skills

Common production scientist skills

Process Improvement, 14%
QC, 8%
Lab Equipment, 7%
GMP, 6%
Molecular Biology, 4%
PCR, 4%

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

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Production Scientist
Production Scientist vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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