Research laboratory manager vs medical science liaison

The differences between research laboratory managers 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 research laboratory manager and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $64,333 average annual salary of a research laboratory manager.

The top three skills for a research laboratory manager include lab equipment, research projects and lab safety. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Research laboratory manager vs medical science liaison overview

	Research Laboratory Manager	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$64,333	$145,718
Hourly rate	$30.93	$70.06
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	89,981	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a research laboratory manager do?

Research laboratory managers are management professionals who are responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of laboratories by implementing safety lab procedures. These managers are required to coordinate the repair and maintenance of lab equipment while training lab technicians and assistants on the correct use of equipment. They must perform experimental studies and analyze the research data collected for research projects. Research laboratory managers must also manage the inventory of laboratory equipment while coordinating the purchase of lab supplies.

What does a medical science liaison do?

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.

Research laboratory manager vs medical science liaison salary

Research laboratory managers and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Laboratory Manager	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$64,333	$145,718
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $91,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	Maryland	Tennessee
Best paying company	Meta	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between research laboratory manager and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between a research laboratory manager and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Research Laboratory Manager	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

Research laboratory manager vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between research laboratory managers' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Research Laboratory Manager	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% 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%

Differences between research laboratory manager and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Research laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Manage and order equipment and materials for lab usage with NIH grant and write monthly credit card reports.
Manage laboratory team activities v. assist set up and revision of project plans under the guidance of NIH vi.
Design, development and validation of cell-base assays; infrare EMSA analysis, western blotting, ELISA.
Prepare, perform RT-PCR and Q-PCR and analyze the results.
Write grant proposal, project reports, IRB applications, and documentation.
Compose and maintain all lab IRB protocols in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Research laboratory manager vs medical science liaison skills

Common research laboratory manager skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Research Projects, 8%
Lab Safety, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Patients, 5%
Research Lab, 5%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

Research Laboratory Manager vs. similar jobs

Research Laboratory Manager related careers

Research Laboratory Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Research Laboratory Manager
Research Laboratory Manager vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs