Staff chemist vs associate chemist

The differences between staff chemists and associate chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff chemist has an average salary of $84,235, which is higher than the $61,544 average annual salary of an associate chemist.

The top three skills for a staff chemist include chemistry, ms and GC. The most important skills for an associate chemist are lab equipment, HPLC, and method development.

Staff chemist vs associate chemist overview

	Staff Chemist	Associate Chemist
Yearly salary	$84,235	$61,544
Hourly rate	$40.50	$29.59
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	70,982	7,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Staff chemist vs associate chemist salary

Staff chemists and associate chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Chemist	Associate Chemist
Average salary	$84,235	$61,544
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $127,000	Between $39,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	Worcester, MA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Virginia
Best paying company	Seagate Technology	Alere
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Energy

Differences between staff chemist and associate chemist education

There are a few differences between a staff chemist and an associate chemist in terms of educational background:

	Staff Chemist	Associate Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California

Staff chemist vs associate chemist demographics

Here are the differences between staff chemists' and associate chemists' demographics:

	Staff Chemist	Associate Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between staff chemist and associate chemist duties and responsibilities

Staff chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Support manufacturing processes by using HPLC, GC and IR.
Complete projects in compliance with FDA GLP and cGMP regulations.
Prepare reports using LIMS databases.
Create spectral databases for FTIR and Raman systems.
Operate GC-FID and GC-TID in addition to HPLC for pilot plant support.

Associate chemist example responsibilities.

Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize GC, UV/vis, FT-IR, pH meter, and titration
Assay ointments and liquids per company test methods and USP procedures.
Utilize and maintain, TLC, GC, IR, UV/VIS Spectro-photometer and Karl Fischer
Utilize GC, UV and FTIR spectroscopy for products identification of reaction of o-cresol with nitric acid.
Operate and maintain analytical instruments such as FTIR, DSC and TGA.

Staff chemist vs associate chemist skills

Common staff chemist skills

Chemistry, 12%
Ms, 10%
GC, 6%
R, 6%
Gas Chromatography, 5%
Liquid Chromatography, 4%

Common associate chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
HPLC, 8%
Method Development, 6%
Ms, 4%
Product Development, 4%
Analytical Methods, 4%

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Staff Chemist
Staff Chemist vs Associate Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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