Senior research chemist vs senior scientist

The differences between senior research chemists and senior scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $95,520 average annual salary of a senior research chemist.

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

Senior research chemist vs senior scientist overview

	Senior Research Chemist	Senior Scientist
Yearly salary	$95,520	$106,672
Hourly rate	$45.92	$51.28
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	55,511	49,712
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	-	4

Senior research chemist vs senior scientist salary

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Senior Scientist
Average salary	$95,520	$106,672
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $130,000	Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Crunchbase	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Telecommunication

Differences between senior research chemist and senior scientist education

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Senior Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Senior research chemist vs senior scientist demographics

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

	Senior Research Chemist	Senior Scientist
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between senior research chemist and senior 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.

Senior scientist example responsibilities.

Lead the development and implementation of new technology for use in NMR applications.
Strategize and manage the PK/PD program with internal collaborations including chemistry, DMPK, formulation and toxicology.
Lead a team and develop a 24-channel GC parallel separation system for high throughput screening of catalysts.
Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
Influence and impact others through building and maintaining strong networks that are leverage to obtain critical information and accomplish objectives.
Manage collaborations with external CROs.

Senior research chemist vs senior scientist skills

Common senior research chemist skills

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

Common senior scientist skills

Patients, 11%
Data Analysis, 6%
Molecular Biology, 3%
Research Projects, 3%
C++, 3%
Java, 3%

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Senior Research Chemist
Senior Research Chemist vs Senior Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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