Post job

Research scientist lead vs staff scientist

The differences between research scientist leads and staff 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 scientist lead and a staff scientist. Additionally, a research scientist lead has an average salary of $102,713, which is higher than the $93,941 average annual salary of a staff scientist.

The top three skills for a research scientist lead include research projects, R and artificial intelligence. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Research scientist lead vs staff scientist overview

Research Scientist LeadStaff Scientist
Yearly salary$102,713$93,941
Hourly rate$49.38$45.16
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs86,792121,054
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

Research scientist lead vs staff scientist salary

Research scientist leads and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Research Scientist LeadStaff Scientist
Average salary$102,713$93,941
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $155,000Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyGoogleEtsy
Best paying industryProfessionalTechnology

Differences between research scientist lead and staff scientist education

There are a few differences between a research scientist lead and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:

Research Scientist LeadStaff Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Research scientist lead vs staff scientist demographics

Here are the differences between research scientist leads' and staff scientists' demographics:

Research Scientist LeadStaff Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 68.8% Female, 31.2%Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between research scientist lead and staff scientist duties and responsibilities

Research scientist lead example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Develop, validate and implement robust methods for pharmacokinetic, immunogenicity (ADA) and immunodepletion ELISAs, and cell based-bioassays.
  • Develop, validate and implement robust methods for pharmacokinetic, immunogenicity (ADA) and immunodepletion ELISAs, and cell based-bioassays.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
  • Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
  • Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
  • Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.
  • Show more

Research scientist lead vs staff scientist skills

Common research scientist lead skills
  • Research Projects, 18%
  • R, 8%
  • Artificial Intelligence, 8%
  • Data Analysis, 8%
  • Statistical Analysis, 6%
  • Business Development, 5%
Common staff scientist skills
  • Data Analysis, 9%
  • Research Projects, 7%
  • Molecular Biology, 5%
  • Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
  • Statistical Analysis, 4%
  • RNA, 4%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs