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Senior laboratory scientist vs lead laboratory technician

The differences between senior laboratory scientists and lead laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior laboratory scientist, becoming a lead laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior laboratory scientist has an average salary of $88,562, which is higher than the $54,230 average annual salary of a lead laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a senior laboratory scientist include GMP, FDA and cell culture. The most important skills for a lead laboratory technician are patients, lab equipment, and customer service.

Senior laboratory scientist vs lead laboratory technician overview

Senior Laboratory ScientistLead Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary$88,562$54,230
Hourly rate$42.58$26.07
Growth rate17%3%
Number of jobs77,36477,096
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4144
Years of experience412

Senior laboratory scientist vs lead laboratory technician salary

Senior laboratory scientists and lead laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Laboratory ScientistLead Laboratory Technician
Average salary$88,562$54,230
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $128,000Between $33,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City-South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between senior laboratory scientist and lead laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a senior laboratory scientist and a lead laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

Senior Laboratory ScientistLead Laboratory Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorChemistryBiology
Most common collegeDuke UniversityNew York University

Senior laboratory scientist vs lead laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between senior laboratory scientists' and lead laboratory technicians' demographics:

Senior Laboratory ScientistLead Laboratory Technician
Average age4144
Gender ratioMale, 75.0% Female, 25.0%Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior laboratory scientist and lead laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Senior laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
  • Enter results into LIMS database.
  • Generate reports and deliver of presentations to support submissions to FDA.
  • Establish quantitative, proprietary method for measurement of menstrual blood loss (now register with FDA).
  • Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.
  • Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.

Lead laboratory technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
  • Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
  • Assist with FDA and OSHA audits, coordinate the center for all audits and inspections.
  • Accession patient information, doctor information, and testing information accurately and promptly into the NovoPath LIS system.
  • Develop and execute IQ/OQ/PQ at manufacturing site.
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, verify and calibrate laboratory equipment.
  • Show more

Senior laboratory scientist vs lead laboratory technician skills

Common senior laboratory scientist skills
  • GMP, 9%
  • FDA, 9%
  • Cell Culture, 9%
  • Analytical Methods, 7%
  • R, 6%
  • Method Development, 6%
Common lead laboratory technician skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Lab Equipment, 11%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Ongoing Maintenance, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Chemistry, 4%

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