Senior research chemist vs formulation chemist

The differences between senior research chemists and formulation chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior research chemist has an average salary of $95,520, which is higher than the $66,678 average annual salary of a formulation chemist.

The top three skills for a senior research chemist include R, chemistry and product development. The most important skills for a formulation chemist are scale-up, R, and product development.

Senior research chemist vs formulation chemist overview

	Senior Research Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Yearly salary	$95,520	$66,678
Hourly rate	$45.92	$32.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	55,511	3,011
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Senior research chemist vs formulation chemist salary

Senior research chemists and formulation chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Research Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average salary	$95,520	$66,678
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $130,000	Between $46,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Frederick, MD
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Crunchbase	Apple
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between senior research chemist and formulation chemist education

There are a few differences between a senior research chemist and a formulation chemist in terms of educational background:

	Senior Research Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California

Senior research chemist vs formulation chemist demographics

Here are the differences between senior research chemists' and formulation chemists' demographics:

	Senior Research Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%	Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 27.5% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between senior research chemist and formulation chemist duties and responsibilities

Senior research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Conduct HPLC analysis of two main products to support equivalency programs.
Establish the fast HPLC column screening system and serve as super user.
Calculate amounts of unknown components of a distillation bottoms mixture using NMR.
Train over twenty plant operators and scientists to use the FTIR system.
Act as leading analyst to provide analytical services to several GMP API productions.

Formulation chemist example responsibilities.

Utilize Citrix LIMS to register, manage, enter and release sample results for supervisor review.
Provide key data in GLP testing of in-house samples using GC, AA, and UV-Vis.
Follow ASTM procedures and criteria for analyzing products.
Create internal sensory training according to the ASTM method.
Help to aid the plant in becoming compliant with EPA standards.
Perform analysis of pharmaceutical drug products in compliance cGMP and GLP procedures.

Senior research chemist vs formulation chemist skills

Common senior research chemist skills

R, 16%
Chemistry, 14%
Product Development, 8%
Analytical Laboratory, 6%
Organic Synthesis, 4%
Polymer, 4%

Common formulation chemist skills

Scale-Up, 8%
R, 7%
Product Development, 6%
Lab Notebook, 6%
Formulation Development, 5%
QC, 4%

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Senior Research Chemist
Senior Research Chemist vs Formulation Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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