Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between staff research scientists and associate 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 research scientist and an associate scientist. Additionally, a staff research scientist has an average salary of $106,793, which is higher than the $76,461 average annual salary of an associate scientist.
The top three skills for a staff research scientist include QC, HPLC and product development. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.
| Staff Research Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $106,793 | $76,461 |
| Hourly rate | $51.34 | $36.76 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 154,687 | 54,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A staff research scientist is responsible for conducting and evaluating research. They may work in areas such as meteorology, geosciences, medical research, or pharmacology. They develop experiments, conduct them, and analyze data.
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
Staff research scientists and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Research Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average salary | $106,793 | $76,461 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $159,000 | Between $53,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a staff research scientist and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:
| Staff Research Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between staff research scientists' and associate scientists' demographics:
| Staff Research Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% | Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 31.6% White, 48.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |