Senior research chemist vs research scientist

The differences between senior research chemists and research scientists 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 $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.

The top three skills for a senior research chemist include R, chemistry and product development. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.

Senior research chemist vs research scientist overview

	Senior Research Chemist	Research Scientist
Yearly salary	$95,520	$89,998
Hourly rate	$45.92	$43.27
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	55,511	93,013
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	-	4

Senior research chemist vs research scientist salary

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Research Scientist
Average salary	$95,520	$89,998
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $130,000	Between $58,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Crunchbase	Lyft
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between senior research chemist and research scientist education

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Research Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Senior research chemist vs research scientist demographics

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Research Scientist
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%	Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5%
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, 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	5%	8%

Differences between senior research chemist and research scientist 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.

Research scientist example responsibilities.

Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Used real-time PCR and DNA sequencing to troubleshoot and validate SNP base and gene expression assays.
Prepare clear technical presentations to NIH department heads in annual seminars.
Analyze chromatin dynamics during primordial germ cell specification with a CRISPR mouse model.
Identify impurities in final drug by LCMS and reject impurities with ethanol/water swish.

Senior research chemist vs research scientist skills

Common senior research chemist skills

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

Common research scientist skills

Python, 11%
Data Analysis, 6%
Patients, 6%
C++, 6%
Research Projects, 6%
Chemistry, 5%

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Senior Research Chemist
Senior Research Chemist vs Research Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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