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The differences between senior chemists and research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior chemist has an average salary of $91,008, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a senior chemist include method development, laboratory equipment and HPLC. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Senior Chemist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $91,008 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $43.75 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 12,823 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Senior Chemists are responsible for designing, developing, and testing formulations and compounds. They also maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and relevant documentation.
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.
Senior chemists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Chemist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $91,008 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $123,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | California |
| Best paying company | Lyft | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a senior chemist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Chemist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior chemists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Senior Chemist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 22.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |