Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research scientists and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $75,843 average annual salary of a research chemist.
The top three skills for a research scientist include python, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.
| Research Scientist | Research Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $89,998 | $75,843 |
| Hourly rate | $43.27 | $36.46 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 93,013 | 53,769 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies. Their research findings can be used to create new medicines, enhance existing products, and lead to innovations. When it comes to employment, a research chemist may work for pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories, government agencies, and learning institutions.
Research scientists and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Scientist | Research Chemist | |
| Average salary | $89,998 | $75,843 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $137,000 | Between $53,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | McLean, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Lyft | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a research scientist and a research chemist in terms of educational background:
| Research Scientist | Research Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between research scientists' and research chemists' demographics:
| Research Scientist | Research Chemist | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |