Staff chemist vs staff scientist

The differences between staff chemists and staff scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $84,235 average annual salary of a staff chemist.

The top three skills for a staff chemist include chemistry, ms and GC. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Staff chemist vs staff scientist overview

	Staff Chemist	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$84,235	$93,941
Hourly rate	$40.50	$45.16
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	70,982	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	42	41
Years of experience	-	4

Staff chemist vs staff scientist salary

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

	Staff Chemist	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$84,235	$93,941
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $127,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Seagate Technology	Etsy
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between staff chemist and staff scientist education

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

	Staff Chemist	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Staff chemist vs staff scientist demographics

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

	Staff Chemist	Staff Scientist
Average age	42	41
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between staff chemist and staff scientist 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.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Staff chemist vs staff scientist skills

Common staff chemist skills

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

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

Staff Chemist vs. similar jobs

Staff Chemist related careers

Staff Chemist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Staff Chemist
Staff Chemist vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs