What does a scientific consultant do?
A scientific consultant provides consultation services for scientific projects and research for implementation and enabling scientific missions to the customers. They strategize solutions for business or organizational problems as well as providing a fresh perspective and knowledge based on their expertise. Their duties and responsibilities include compiling and presenting information to the organization through reports.
Scientific consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real scientific consultant resumes:
- Provide SharePoint development and administration, budget and financial reporting; manage invoicing; and develop training manuals and user guides.
- Define and document a new application architecture which load client databases with properly format data using in-house develop Java ETL applications.
- Support regulatory submissions (ISSs, NDA), CDISC (SDTM, ADaM).
Scientific consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 73% of Scientific Consultants are proficient in SQL, R, and FDA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Physical stamina, and Self-confidence.
We break down the percentage of Scientific Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- SQL, 73%
Developed an SQL solution to automate performance attribution reports.
- R, 7%
Derived estimation formulation using both EM method and Newton-Raphson algorithms, and developed corresponding program in MATLAB, R and SAS.
- FDA, 4%
Supervised activities of investigators and associates to ensure compliance with protocols, FDA regulations and overall clinical objectives.
- Laboratory Procedures, 3%
Revised laboratory procedures to enhance health and safety by aligning the procedures to comply with Swiss government regulations.
- Experimental Design, 2%
Grant writing, experimental design, project management, illustrations, editing, brainstorming, research.
- Scientific Journals, 2%
Published the work in peer-reviewed scientific journals 4.
Most scientific consultants use their skills in "sql," "r," and "fda" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential scientific consultant responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a scientific consultant to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." Scientific consultants often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "created junit scripts and performed testing on pl/sql and j2ee based customer service front-end. "
Physical stamina. Another essential skill to perform scientific consultant duties is physical stamina. Scientific consultants responsibilities require that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." Scientific consultants also use physical stamina in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided department of energy safeguard procedure and facility physical inspections for due diligence studies. "
Self-confidence. scientific consultants are also known for self-confidence, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to scientific consultant responsibilities, because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." A scientific consultant resume example shows how self-confidence is used in the workplace: "monitored the intensity and frequency of a variety of confidential customer service-related information technology patterns on the internet. "
The three companies that hire the most scientific consultants are:
- EPAM Systems10 scientific consultants jobs
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Compare different scientific consultants
Scientific consultant vs. Pharmaceutical sales specialist
A pharmaceutical sales specialist's primary duty is to reach out to pharmacies, medical facilities, and physicians to discuss the latest medical drugs in an effort to secure sales. Their responsibilities typically revolve around learning and understanding everything about the products that they are offering, traveling to different areas to deliver samples, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a pharmaceutical sales specialist, it is essential to create marketing materials and build positive relationships with clients to accomplish sales targets, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a scientific consultant are more likely to require skills like "sql," "scientific software," "r," and "fda." On the other hand, a job as a pharmaceutical sales specialist requires skills like "patients," "sales territory," "clinical evidence," and "business plan." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Pharmaceutical sales specialists really shine in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $126,357. Comparatively, scientific consultants tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $112,861.The education levels that pharmaceutical sales specialists earn slightly differ from scientific consultants. In particular, pharmaceutical sales specialists are 10.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a scientific consultant. Additionally, they're 28.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Scientific consultant vs. Professional healthcare representative
Professional Healthcare representatives are sales employees who manage the company's healthcare products and healthcare client accounts. They are in charge of achieving the sales targets of the company. They form good relationships with clients and distributors to ensure continued business with them. They may visit their clients' office from time to time to check in on them and to provide samples of new products. Professional Healthcare Representatives should be updated on the latest trends in the healthcare industry, as well as new product releases related to their company's main business. They should also know all the pertinent details on the products they sell so they can answer their clients' questions.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real scientific consultant resumes. While scientific consultant responsibilities can utilize skills like "sql," "scientific software," "r," and "fda," professional healthcare representatives use skills like "government agencies," "patients," "product portfolio," and "strategic thinking."
On average, professional healthcare representatives earn a lower salary than scientific consultants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, professional healthcare representatives earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $38,389. Whereas scientific consultants have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $112,861.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Professional healthcare representatives tend to reach lower levels of education than scientific consultants. In fact, they're 11.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 28.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Scientific consultant vs. Technical sales specialist
A technical sales specialist is in charge of devising strategies to develop technical solutions for optimizing sales procedures. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying market and client needs, assessing existing programs and projects to determine its strengths and weaknesses, and recommending improvements as needed. A technical sales specialist may also interact with walk-in clients, or reach out to them through calls and correspondence, to demonstrate and offer products and services. Furthermore, as a technical sales specialist, it is essential to produce progress reports and maintain records of transactions, all while prioritizing to meet sales targets.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, scientific consultants are more likely to have skills like "sql," "scientific software," "fda," and "laboratory procedures." But a technical sales specialist is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "technical knowledge," "cloud," and "product sales."
Technical sales specialists typically earn lower educational levels compared to scientific consultants. Specifically, they're 12.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 29.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Scientific consultant vs. Medical sales specialist
A medical sales specialist is an individual who advertises, markets, and distributes a specific pharmaceutical product or medical equipment to medical establishments. Medical sales specialists must manage a network of independent representatives and maintain relationships with their clients to attain territory-specific sales goals. They develop marketing strategies and business sales plans to identify key growth areas and deliver short and long-term corporate objectives. Medical sales specialists should also conduct analyses on product and market trends to achieve and exceed sales goals.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between scientific consultants and medical sales specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a scientific consultant might have more use for skills like "sql," "scientific software," "r," and "laboratory procedures." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of medical sales specialists require skills like "patients," "medical sales," "product knowledge," and "capital equipment. "
Medical sales specialists enjoy the best pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $86,947. For comparison, scientific consultants earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of medical sales specialists showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to scientific consultants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 10.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 28.9%.Types of scientific consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
