What does a senior scientist, biology do?
A senior biology scientist is responsible for studying how living organisms relate to the environment. Duties and responsibilities include supporting and participating in project management and research and development meetings, conducting tissue culture and cell line generation, and performing binding assays to examine the biological activities of protein therapeutics. In addition, you will be participating in the organic synthesis of nucleotide drug and perform reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction procedure for gene expression and amplification.
Senior scientist, biology responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior scientist, biology resumes:
- Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
- Contribute to a cancer cell line profiling effort.
- Review documentation, write research reports and authore FDA submissions.
- Cloned and express zebrafish DNA repair genes by PCR; design PCR primers.
- Supervise transfer of methodology from GLP to GMP environment and between partner/CRO sites.
- Investigate plant-microbe interactions using protein profiling experiments.
- Cloned and sequence expression constructs, perform PCR mutagenesis, develop product-relevant biochemical assays.
- Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.
- Implement ELISAs and other microplate-base assays for cell proliferation and apoptosis studies.
- Manufacture and assemble immunoassay kits: mouse/rat/human osteocalcin, cAMP/cGMP and involucring kits.
- Develop a highly sensitive RT-PCR assay for WNV which critically support the launch of the company's bestselling WNV qualification panels.
- Apply RNAi technology to complex human primary cell systems, including endothelial cells and fibroblast.
- Deepen expertise in pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics, and pharmacodynamics including PK/PD modeling, simulations, through hands-on laboratory research.
- Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.
Senior scientist, biology skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Senior Scientists, Biology are proficient in Data Analysis, Cell Biology, and Next-Generation Sequencing.
We break down the percentage of Senior Scientists, Biology that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Data Analysis, 9%
Establish QC metrics for data analysis and work with experimentalists to plan and execute studies.
- Cell Biology, 9%
Designed and executed project to study roles of angiopoietin2 in regulating cell biology.
- Next-Generation Sequencing, 6%
Established a Next-generation sequencing platform and developed assays for high-throughput genetic analysis using Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM).
- Cell-Based Assays, 5%
Purified antibodies and antigens for antibody affinity screens, biochemical and cell-based assays, immunizations, and GLP toxicology studies.
- RNA, 5%
Developed a binding experiment utilizing fluorescence polarization to screen discovery compounds for interaction with various RNA constructs.
- CMC, 4%
Collaborated with R&D, CMC, QA, and partners to meet project end-points and timelines.
Most senior scientists, biology use their skills in "data analysis," "cell biology," and "next-generation sequencing" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior scientist, biology responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior scientist, biology to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Senior scientists, biology often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "display good communication skills, practical dexterity and attention to detail. "
Observation skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior scientist, biology duties is observation skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." According to a senior scientist, biology resume, here's how senior scientists, biology can utilize observation skills in their job responsibilities: "communicated detailed observations and intermediate data analysis to study director and management. "
The three companies that hire the most senior scientist, biologys are:
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.25 senior scientists, biology jobs
- Johnson & Johnson15 senior scientists, biology jobs
- Bristol-Myers Squibb14 senior scientists, biology jobs
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Compare different senior scientists, biology
Senior scientist, biology vs. Postdoctoral research associate
A postdoctoral research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior scientist, biology responsibilities require skills like "rna," "cmc," "pcr," and "scientific literature." Meanwhile a typical postdoctoral research associate has skills in areas such as "python," "chemistry," "post-doctoral," and "cell culture." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Postdoctoral research associates tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $69,999. In contrast, senior scientists, biology make the biggest average salary, $94,604, in the pharmaceutical industry.The education levels that postdoctoral research associates earn slightly differ from senior scientists, biology. In particular, postdoctoral research associates are 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior scientist, biology. Additionally, they're 21.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior scientist, biology vs. Quality control associate
In a manufacturing setting, a quality control associate is in charge of conducting various tests to ensure that the products meet the company's standard criteria. Their responsibilities revolve around inspecting the workforce and workload involved in the production process, identifying errors or inconsistencies, recommending solutions and alterations, and maintaining records and documentation. Furthermore, as a quality control associate, it is essential to coordinate with department staff and produce progress reports, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior scientist, biology resumes. While senior scientist, biology responsibilities can utilize skills like "cell biology," "rna," "cmc," and "scientific literature," quality control associates use skills like "laboratory equipment," "test methods," "test results," and "lims."
Quality control associates earn a lower average salary than senior scientists, biology. But quality control associates earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $54,631. Additionally, senior scientists, biology earn the highest salaries in the pharmaceutical with average pay of $94,604 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Quality control associates tend to reach lower levels of education than senior scientists, biology. In fact, they're 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 21.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior scientist, biologys in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Betsy Smith
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College
Senior scientist, biology vs. Chemist
Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior scientists, biology are more likely to have skills like "cell biology," "next-generation sequencing," "cell-based assays," and "rna." But a chemist is more likely to have skills like "chemistry," "lab equipment," "test results," and "product development."
Chemists earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $75,495. Comparatively, senior scientists, biology have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $94,604.When it comes to education, chemists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to senior scientists, biology. In fact, they're 5.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 22.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior scientist, biology vs. Quality control analyst
Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.
Types of senior scientist, biology
Updated January 8, 2025
