Senior biologist vs molecular biologist

The differences between senior biologists and molecular biologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a senior biologist and a molecular biologist. Additionally, a molecular biologist has an average salary of $73,763, which is higher than the $66,143 average annual salary of a senior biologist.

The top three skills for a senior biologist include renewable energy, data collection and species act. The most important skills for a molecular biologist are CRISPR, next-generation sequencing, and cell culture.

Senior biologist vs molecular biologist overview

	Senior Biologist	Molecular Biologist
Yearly salary	$66,143	$73,763
Hourly rate	$31.80	$35.46
Growth rate	1%	17%
Number of jobs	1,650	22,019
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	8	8

Senior biologist vs molecular biologist salary

Senior biologists and molecular biologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Biologist	Molecular Biologist
Average salary	$66,143	$73,763
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $96,000	Between $52,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	Carson City, NV	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Alaska	Hawaii
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Novartis
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between senior biologist and molecular biologist education

There are a few differences between a senior biologist and a molecular biologist in terms of educational background:

	Senior Biologist	Molecular Biologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Harvard University

Senior biologist vs molecular biologist demographics

Here are the differences between senior biologists' and molecular biologists' demographics:

	Senior Biologist	Molecular Biologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 17.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between senior biologist and molecular biologist duties and responsibilities

Senior biologist example responsibilities.

Lead teams involve in preclinical toxicity assessment of anticancer NCEs and establishment of GLP compliant toxicology division.
Design a bedbug assay used for GLP testing.
Assist in development of the GPS data dictionaries used for the project.
Participate in the design and implementation of genetic DNA contract research with NCI.
Supervise biologists, radar software engineers, and GIS staff during preparation of the interim and final reports.
Perform biological surveys using handheld GPS units for threaten, endanger and sensitive species, to include botanical species.

Molecular biologist example responsibilities.

Provide oversight for FDA inspections.
Present results in monthly HTS and data meeting.
Perform instrument, primers and reagent validations utilize in RT-PCR.
Develop and perform assays for testing samples using ELISA and PCR technology.
Used molecular techniques such as RNA and DNA isolation, RT-PCR, and qPCR.
Play a lead role in developing, optimizing and validating ELISA and ELISA microarrays.

Senior biologist vs molecular biologist skills

Common senior biologist skills

Renewable Energy, 28%
Data Collection, 13%
Species ACT, 10%
Research Projects, 5%
Sops, 4%
Cell-Based Assays, 4%

Common molecular biologist skills

CRISPR, 8%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 7%
Cell Culture, 6%
Lab Equipment, 6%
Molecular Biology Techniques, 5%
Extraction, 5%

Senior Biologist vs. similar jobs

Senior Biologist related careers

Senior Biologist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Senior Biologist
Senior Biologist vs Molecular Biologist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs