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Senior staff scientist vs senior scientist

The differences between senior staff scientists and senior scientists 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 staff scientist and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior staff scientist has an average salary of $123,740, which is higher than the $106,672 average annual salary of a senior scientist.

The top three skills for a senior staff scientist include data analysis, FDA and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Senior staff scientist vs senior scientist overview

Senior Staff ScientistSenior Scientist
Yearly salary$123,740$106,672
Hourly rate$59.49$51.28
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs113,26549,712
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a senior staff scientist do?

A Senior Staff Scientist is responsible for supervising projects and activities of a company. They manage the technical, budgetary, and scheduling aspects of scientific research projects.

What does a senior scientist do?

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.

Senior staff scientist vs senior scientist salary

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

Senior Staff ScientistSenior Scientist
Average salary$123,740$106,672
Salary rangeBetween $86,000 And $177,000Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAirbnbBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industryTechnologyTelecommunication

Differences between senior staff scientist and senior scientist education

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

Senior Staff ScientistSenior Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Senior staff scientist vs senior scientist demographics

Here are the differences between senior staff scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:

Senior Staff ScientistSenior Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 74.7% Female, 25.3%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior staff scientist and senior scientist duties and responsibilities

Senior staff scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Conduct research and analyze data to identify potential biomarkers and provide input for selection of candidates for non-clinical studies development.
  • Establish methods for OTFT parameters extraction, physics-base device modeling, and circuit elements simulation.
  • Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.

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.
  • Show more

Senior staff scientist vs senior scientist skills

Common senior staff scientist skills
  • Data Analysis, 10%
  • FDA, 7%
  • Next-Generation Sequencing, 6%
  • Statistical Analysis, 5%
  • Regulatory Submissions, 5%
  • PK, 5%
Common senior scientist skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 3%
  • Research Projects, 3%
  • C++, 3%
  • Java, 3%

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