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Staff associate of research vs senior scientist

The differences between staff associate of research 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 staff associate of research and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $64,982 average annual salary of a staff associate of research.

The top three skills for a staff associate of research include patients, data collection and molecular biology. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Staff associate of research vs senior scientist overview

Staff Associate Of ResearchSenior Scientist
Yearly salary$64,982$106,672
Hourly rate$31.24$51.28
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs120,09649,712
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a staff associate of research do?

A staff associate of research is responsible for performing and conducting research studies to support the research department of an organization or educational institution. Staff associates of research gather data from field investigation, verify its accuracy, and write reports of findings according to research requirements and methodologies. They also contribute significant areas of study according to market demands and public needs. A staff associate of research must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in coding information on the database and revising content as needed.

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.

Staff associate of research vs senior scientist salary

Staff associate of research and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff Associate Of ResearchSenior Scientist
Average salary$64,982$106,672
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $92,000Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CityOak Ridge, TNRedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyNVIDIABill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industryTechnologyTelecommunication

Differences between staff associate of research and senior scientist education

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

Staff Associate Of ResearchSenior Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Staff associate of research vs senior scientist demographics

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

Staff Associate Of ResearchSenior Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 48.1% Female, 51.9%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 28.8% White, 50.7% 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 staff associate of research and senior scientist duties and responsibilities

Staff associate of research example responsibilities.

  • Manage a NIH grant study using MRI to determine relationship between bone and cartilage in osteoarthritic knees.
  • Manage a clinical pharmaceutical trial attempting to improve attention and behavior in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive impairment.
  • Introduce new mutations into DNA vectors using PCR and other techniques, test the mutations with gel electrophoresis.
  • Complete data collection from various clinical populations including patients with traumatic brain injury and epilepsy.
  • Perform fermentation experiments, enzymatic assays, gel electrophoresis, RNA isolation and purification and HPLC testing.
  • Test samples for different studies using ELISA kits and NanoDrop spectrophotometer.
  • Show more

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

Staff associate of research vs senior scientist skills

Common staff associate of research skills
  • Patients, 7%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 5%
  • Data Entry, 4%
Common senior scientist skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 3%
  • Research Projects, 3%
  • C++, 3%
  • Java, 3%

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