Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project scientists and research 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 project scientist and a research scientist. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, 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 research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Project Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,073 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $38.02 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 53,045 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| 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.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Project scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $79,073 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $110,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Farmington, CT | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a project scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Project Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between project scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Project Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |