Research group director vs senior scientist

The differences between research group directors and senior 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 research group director and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $97,758 average annual salary of a research group director.

The top three skills for a research group director include research projects, R and market research. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Research group director vs senior scientist overview

	Research Group Director	Senior Scientist
Yearly salary	$97,758	$106,672
Hourly rate	$47.00	$51.28
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	60,130	49,712
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Research group director vs senior scientist salary

Research group directors and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Group Director	Senior Scientist
Average salary	$97,758	$106,672
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $160,000	Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying City	-	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between research group director and senior scientist education

There are a few differences between a research group director and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:

	Research Group Director	Senior Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Research group director vs senior scientist demographics

Here are the differences between research group directors' and senior scientists' demographics:

	Research Group Director	Senior Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% 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, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between research group director and senior scientist duties and responsibilities

Research group director example responsibilities.

Lead social path-to-purchase study, incorporating social media analytics into insight community to identify spectrum of social engagement among customers.
Develop a license plate recognition and tracking algorithm using MATLAB.
Design a moving JPEG hardware accelerator using MATLAB and Simulink.
Develop and modify Linux device drivers for use on main controller platform.
Present results, observations and future plans via PowerPoint to the research class
Research into novel method for production of gold nanoparticles with tailorable size and shape.

Senior scientist example responsibilities.

Lead the development and implementation of new technology for use in NMR applications.
Strategize and manage the PK/PD program with internal collaborations including chemistry, DMPK, formulation and toxicology.
Lead a team and develop a 24-channel GC parallel separation system for high throughput screening of catalysts.
Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
Influence and impact others through building and maintaining strong networks that are leverage to obtain critical information and accomplish objectives.
Manage collaborations with external CROs.

Research group director vs senior scientist skills

Common research group director skills

Research Projects, 48%
R, 18%
Market Research, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 6%
Clinical Trials, 5%
MATLAB, 5%

Common senior scientist skills

Patients, 11%
Data Analysis, 6%
Molecular Biology, 3%
Research Projects, 3%
C++, 3%
Java, 3%

Research Group Director vs. similar jobs

Research Group Director related careers

Research Group Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Research Group Director
Research Group Director vs Senior Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs