Post job

Senior research associate scientist vs staff scientist

The differences between senior research associate scientists and staff 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 research associate scientist and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $72,094 average annual salary of a senior research associate scientist.

The top three skills for a senior research associate scientist include cell culture, cell-based assays and data analysis. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Senior research associate scientist vs staff scientist overview

Senior Research Associate ScientistStaff Scientist
Yearly salary$72,094$93,941
Hourly rate$34.66$45.16
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs90,457121,054
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a senior research associate scientist do?

Senior research associate scientists serve a critical function assisting in the development of research. The senior research associate scientists support ongoing studies that have something to do with biometric identification, anti-drug or antibody detection, and cell functions, especially in our immune system. They should adjust well to fast-paced environments and apply their knowledge to various projects and experiments. They should be adept in doing cell-based experiments, techniques on a molecular level, and flow cytometry. Being detail-oriented and having strong communication skills can also help them become efficient in this field.

What does a staff scientist do?

The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.

Senior research associate scientist vs staff scientist salary

Senior research associate scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Research Associate ScientistStaff Scientist
Average salary$72,094$93,941
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $110,000Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City-Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Etsy
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between senior research associate scientist and staff scientist education

There are a few differences between a senior research associate scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:

Senior Research Associate ScientistStaff Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Senior research associate scientist vs staff scientist demographics

Here are the differences between senior research associate scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:

Senior Research Associate ScientistStaff Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 52.8% Female, 47.2%Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior research associate scientist and staff scientist duties and responsibilities

Senior research associate scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage stability coordination activities for market drug products in accordance to company and ICH guidelines.
  • Develop, validate and implement an anti-drug antibody immunoassay for immunogenicity testing of biologics.
  • Maintain effective records for internal and external (FDA) reviewers.
  • Assist method optimization for ELISA, stability, clarity, and reproducibility assays.
  • Contribute to successful NPI projects by performing functional QC assays and co-authoring customer manuals.
  • Develop and produce anti-DNA single/double strand antibodies for nucleic acid probe detection diagnostic kits/ ELISA.
  • Show more

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
  • Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
  • Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
  • Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.
  • Show more

Senior research associate scientist vs staff scientist skills

Common senior research associate scientist skills
  • Cell Culture, 13%
  • Cell-Based Assays, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 9%
  • Elisa, 6%
  • Experimental Design, 5%
  • Assay Development, 4%
Common staff scientist skills
  • Data Analysis, 9%
  • Research Projects, 7%
  • Molecular Biology, 5%
  • Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
  • Statistical Analysis, 4%
  • RNA, 4%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs