What is a staff scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Chandralekha Singh

A staff scientist works in a scientific organization, such as a university or government agency. They conduct research, analyze data, publish papers, and mentor junior researchers. Staff scientists manage projects and ensure ethical and effective research processes. They may also work to secure funding, collaborate with other scientists, and present findings. Staff scientists use their expertise to advance scientific knowledge and contribute to the development of new technologies and innovations.

What general advice would you give to a staff scientist?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScoreStaff ScientistUS Average

Salary

7.3

Avg. Salary $93,941

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.51%

Black or African American 6.23%

Hispanic or Latino 9.43%

Unknown 4.06%

White 53.62%

Gender

female 32.15%

male 67.85%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a staff scientist?

Pros

Job stability and security, with benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans
Competitive salary and potential for advancement within the organization
Opportunity to mentor and train junior scientists, which can be rewarding and fulfilling
Access to state-of-the-art equipment and resources necessary for conducting research
Flexibility in terms of work hours and location, depending on the organization

Cons

Long hours spent conducting experiments or analyzing data, which can be mentally and physically exhausting
Pressure to publish high-quality research findings within a limited timeframe, which can be stressful
Potential for conflicts with other scientists or collaborators over authorship or credit for research findings
Exposure to hazardous chemicals or materials during experiments, which can pose risks to health and safety
Potential for burnout due to the high demands of the job, which can lead to decreased productivity and job satisfaction

Key steps to become a staff scientist

Explore staff scientist education requirements

Most common staff scientist degrees

Bachelor's

59.7 %

Doctorate

23.9 %

Master's

12.8 %

Start to develop specific staff scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Analysis	9.49%
Research Projects	7.34%
Molecular Biology	4.73%
Next-Generation Sequencing	4.11%
Statistical Analysis	3.68%

Complete relevant staff scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff scientist resumes.

Research staff scientist duties and 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

Prepare your staff scientist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff scientist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a staff scientist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable staff scientist resume templates

Build a professional staff scientist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your staff scientist resume.

Apply for staff scientist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a staff scientist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do staff scientists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Staff scientist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2021

Pros

Firstly, the most important is to protect our planet for us and the future generations. Secondly our planet is not going to support the pressure and negative impacts because of the big Increased human population . Finally our planet needs more and more environmental specialists to regulate and control all human activities, especially the ilegal ones.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019