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The differences between senior formulation scientists and associate 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 senior formulation scientist and an associate scientist. Additionally, a senior formulation scientist has an average salary of $102,574, which is higher than the $76,461 average annual salary of an associate scientist.
The top three skills for a senior formulation scientist include dosage forms, scale-up and formulation development. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $102,574 | $76,461 |
| Hourly rate | $49.31 | $36.76 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 48,668 | 54,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
As a senior formulation scientist, your main aim is to have clinical trials as well as to conduct some tests to compare the reaction of potential customers to that of your previous formulations. You need to design pre-formulation studies. By doing this, you can understand the formulation of different types of medical trials performed. You also need to assist in the pharmaceutical formulation to form a great report for the company.
The main skills which are required to become a senior formulation scientist are observational as well as critical thinking skills. You need to have proper report-making skills so that you can research and analyze the data from your formulations and then condense them into important medical documents. You should be able to communicate clearly to your team members so that they can help and assist you in the formulations as well as develop different ideas.
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
Senior formulation scientists and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average salary | $102,574 | $76,461 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $141,000 | Between $53,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Exelixis | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior formulation scientist and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior formulation scientists' and associate scientists' demographics:
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8% | Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |