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The differences between project scientists and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a project scientist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $79,073 average annual salary of a project scientist.
The top three skills for a project scientist include data analysis, research projects and oversight. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.
| Project Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Yearly salary | $79,073 | $145,718 |
| Hourly rate | $38.02 | $70.06 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 53,045 | 57,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Project Scientist is responsible for conducting tests and evaluations of existing products and reporting the findings. The industries they may work in include textiles technology, polymer technology, chemical sciences, and chemical engineering.
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
Project scientists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average salary | $79,073 | $145,718 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $110,000 | Between $59,000 And $359,000 |
| Highest paying City | Farmington, CT | Jackson, TN |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a project scientist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:
| Project Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between project scientists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:
| Project Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |