A research and development scientist specializes in conducting scientific studies and experiments to develop new products and technologies. They usually work at laboratories where they are in charge of conducting research and assessments, coming up with new ideas, performing tests, streamlining product requirements and guidelines, collaborating with fellow experts, utilizing previous studies and advanced software, and maintaining records of all procedures. Additionally, as a research and development scientist, it is essential to conduct reviews and assessments to ensure products adhere to safety standards and regulations.
Here are examples of responsibilities from real research and development scientist resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.
We calculated that 7% of Research And Development Scientists are proficient in R, Patients, and Data Analysis. They’re also known for soft skills such as Observation skills, Communication skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Research And Development Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
Implemented process control checks and QC testing methods, executed Gage R and R for new test methods.
Determined through statistical analysis whether these mutations increase susceptibility or resistance of patients to cancer and overall/recurrence-free survival of patients.
Developed software modules for pattern recognition software package to be distributed commercially for use in biological-data analysis.
Implemented execution process automation via Python and Bash scripting.
Provided technical support for Laboratory Investigation Reports (LIR) and customer complaints helping the Quality Assurance Department with timely product disposition
Conduct Monte Carlo simulation using C++ and MATLAB to identify the most sensitive and best-fit parameter ranges to meet customer requirements.
Some of the skills we found on research and development scientist resumes included "r," "patients," and "data analysis." We have detailed the most important research and development scientist responsibilities below.
See the full list of research and development scientist skills.
Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.
In this section, we compare the average research and development scientist annual salary with that of a chemist. Typically, chemists earn a $25,317 lower salary than research and development scientists earn annually.
While their salaries may differ, one common ground between research and development scientists and chemists are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like r, data analysis, and hplc.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A research and development scientist responsibility is more likely to require skills like "patients," "python," "technical support," and "c++." Whereas a chemist requires skills like "chemistry," "lab equipment," "test results," and "ms." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.
Chemists tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry by averaging a salary of $75,495. In contrast, research and development scientists make the biggest average salary of $91,180 in the health care industry.
The education levels that chemists earn is a bit different than that of research and development scientists. In particular, chemists are 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a research and development scientist. Additionally, they're 7.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.
Now we're going to look at the quality control analyst profession. On average, quality control analysts earn a $31,061 lower salary than research and development scientists a year.
Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Research and development scientists and quality control analysts both include similar skills like "r," "data analysis," and "hplc" on their resumes.
But both careers also use different skills, according to real research and development scientist resumes. While research and development scientist responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "python," "technical support," and "c++," some quality control analysts use skills like "lab equipment," "microbiology," "test results," and "qc testing."
It's been discovered that quality control analysts earn lower salaries compared to research and development scientists, but we wanted to find out where quality control analysts earned the most pay. The answer? The manufacturing industry. The average salary in the industry is $62,870. Additionally, research and development scientists earn the highest paychecks in the health care with an average salary of $91,180.
When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, quality control analysts tend to reach lower levels of education than research and development scientists. In fact, they're 7.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.
The third profession we take a look at is postdoctoral associate. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than research and development scientists. In fact, they make a $35,928 lower salary per year.
By looking over several research and development scientists and postdoctoral associates resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "r," "patients," and "data analysis." But beyond that the careers look very different.
As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from research and development scientists resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "technical support," "c #," "product development," and "analytical methods." But a postdoctoral associate might have skills like "tip," "biomedical," "crispr," and "cell biology."
Additionally, postdoctoral associates earn a higher salary in the education industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $53,445. Additionally, research and development scientists earn an average salary of $91,180 in the health care industry.
Postdoctoral associates are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to research and development scientists. Additionally, they're 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 37.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
Senior Chemists are responsible for designing, developing, and testing formulations and compounds. They also maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and relevant documentation.
Now, we'll look at senior chemists, who generally average a higher pay when compared to research and development scientists annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $730 per year.
While both research and development scientists and senior chemists complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like r, data analysis, and technical support, the two careers also vary in other skills.
Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a research and development scientist might have more use for skills like "patients," "python," "c++," and "c #." Meanwhile, some senior chemists might include skills like "ms," "chromatography," "analytical procedures," and "troubleshoot" on their resume.
Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The manufacturing industry tends to pay more for senior chemists with an average of $93,450. While the highest research and development scientist annual salary comes from the health care industry.
Senior chemists reach similar levels of education when compared to research and development scientists. The difference is that they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.
Yes, R&D is a good career. Not only is R&D a lucrative career with lots of opportunities to grow, but it's also in high demand. R&D is a great career option for those who are interested in the science and technology sector and who are innovative and creative.
A research and development scientist is someone who specializes in conducting scientific studies and experiments to develop new products and technologies.
They usually work at laboratories where they are in charge of conducting research and assessments. This includes designing the study or metrics, performing tests, streamlining product requirements and guidelines. To accomplish this requires collaborating with fellow experts and maintaining records of all procedures.
