Senior microbiologist vs public health microbiologist

The differences between senior microbiologists and public health microbiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior microbiologist and a public health microbiologist. Additionally, a senior microbiologist has an average salary of $69,951, which is higher than the $64,113 average annual salary of a public health microbiologist.

The top three skills for a senior microbiologist include FDA, environmental monitoring and microbiology lab. The most important skills for a public health microbiologist are extraction, quality control procedures, and body fluids.

Senior microbiologist vs public health microbiologist overview

	Senior Microbiologist	Public Health Microbiologist
Yearly salary	$69,951	$64,113
Hourly rate	$33.63	$30.82
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	12,133	65,489
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 90%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior microbiologist do?

A senior microbiologist specializes in conducting studies and research, focusing on microorganisms. Their workplace responsibilities usually revolve around spearheading research projects, gathering and analyzing samples through various laboratory procedures, performing experiments and assessments, maintaining records of all operations, and drawing conclusions and recommendations according to the research findings. As a senior microbiologist, it is also their duty to lead and serve as a mentor to junior microbiologists in the joint effort to reach project goals. Moreover, when it comes to employment, a senior microbiologist may work for government agencies, private laboratories, and even teach at universities.

What does a public health microbiologist do?

Public health administrators are like health administrators, except that their focus is on population health. When working at an office, outreach is a critical part of their work. They will need to interface with the community they serve. They travel outside of the office for fundraising, public speaking, and public engagement on a regular basis. Their responsibilities include developing community programs that improve public health, assessing community health issues, and creating budgets related to public health operations.

Senior microbiologist vs public health microbiologist salary

Senior microbiologists and public health microbiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Microbiologist	Public Health Microbiologist
Average salary	$69,951	$64,113
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $95,000	Between $45,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Virginia	-
Best paying company	Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between senior microbiologist and public health microbiologist education

There are a few differences between a senior microbiologist and a public health microbiologist in terms of educational background:

	Senior Microbiologist	Public Health Microbiologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 90%
Most common major	Biology	Microbiology
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Senior microbiologist vs public health microbiologist demographics

Here are the differences between senior microbiologists' and public health microbiologists' demographics:

	Senior Microbiologist	Public Health Microbiologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between senior microbiologist and public health microbiologist duties and responsibilities

Senior microbiologist example responsibilities.

Develop and manage cost effective qualification studies of disinfectant efficacy for contamination control follow by USP guidelines and ISO regulations.
Manage and implement microbiological efforts with the goal of FDA market approval of a low temperature vaporize hydrogen peroxide terminal sterilizer.
Perform microbiological tests (including pathogens) on the ingredients and final product.
Integrate GLP with GMP practices and protocols for overlap in lab and manufacturing duties.
Perform microbial identification and Bioburden, quality control and growth promotion of microbiological media.
Implement and develop CAPA s.

Public health microbiologist example responsibilities.

Job duties begin in a general microbiology/ infectious disease laboratory focuse on cultivating and managing infectious strains of microbes.
Extract DNA from patient samples using complex laboratory equipment.
Perform high-complexity public health testing including ELISA, PCR, DFA/IFA, viral and bacterial cultures, serologies and drug susceptibilities.
Secure database entry within FDA compliance regulations and laboratory notebook entries.
Conduct biochemical assays including biochemical identification of microorganisms.
Conduct biochemical assays including biochemical identification of microorganisms.

Senior microbiologist vs public health microbiologist skills

Common senior microbiologist skills

FDA, 7%
Environmental Monitoring, 7%
Microbiology Lab, 6%
Test Methods, 6%
ISO, 5%
QC, 4%

Common public health microbiologist skills

Extraction, 17%
Quality Control Procedures, 16%
Body Fluids, 10%
Pathogens, 9%
Proficiency Testing, 6%
DNA, 6%

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Senior Microbiologist vs Public Health Microbiologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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