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The differences between senior formulation scientists and research 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 a research scientist. Additionally, a senior formulation scientist has an average salary of $102,574, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a senior formulation scientist include dosage forms, scale-up and formulation development. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $102,574 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $49.31 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 48,668 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
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 formulation scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $102,574 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $141,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Exelixis | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a senior formulation scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior formulation scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Senior Formulation Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |