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The differences between senior scientists and medical science liaisons 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 scientist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $106,672 average annual salary of a senior scientist.
The top three skills for a senior scientist include patients, data analysis and molecular biology. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.
| Senior Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Yearly salary | $106,672 | $145,718 |
| Hourly rate | $51.28 | $70.06 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 49,712 | 57,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior scientist is usually in charge of overseeing experiments and evaluating junior scientists' performance, especially in laboratory settings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to assess every progress report to ensure it's accuracy and validity. As a senior scientist in the field, it is essential to lead and encourage fellow scientists in their joint pursuit for scientific innovations, all while adhering to the laboratory's standards and policies.
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
Senior scientists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average salary | $106,672 | $145,718 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $153,000 | Between $59,000 And $359,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Jackson, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior scientist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:
| Senior Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior scientists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:
| Senior Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |