Staff scientist vs professor

The differences between staff scientists and professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a staff scientist, becoming a professor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a professor has an average salary of $157,570, which is higher than the $93,941 average annual salary of a staff scientist.

The top three skills for a staff scientist include data analysis, research projects and molecular biology. The most important skills for a professor are philosophy, curriculum development, and mathematics.

Staff scientist vs professor overview

	Staff Scientist	Professor
Yearly salary	$93,941	$157,570
Hourly rate	$45.16	$75.75
Growth rate	17%	12%
Number of jobs	121,054	21,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	46
Years of experience	4	2

What does a staff scientist do?

The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.

What does a professor do?

A professor is a teaching professional who provides instructions to students on various academic and vocational subjects in colleges, universities, and vocational schools. Professors design curriculums for courses and ensure that they meet college and department students. They continuously conduct research and experiments so that advanced knowledge in their field is completed. They share their research and works by publishing them in books and academic journals. They also provide assistance to graduating students.

Staff scientist vs professor salary

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

	Staff Scientist	Professor
Average salary	$93,941	$157,570
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $137,000	Between $88,000 And $280,000
Highest paying City	Redwood City, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Etsy	Oregon Health & Science University
Best paying industry	Technology	Education

Differences between staff scientist and professor education

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

	Staff Scientist	Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Northwestern University

Staff scientist vs professor demographics

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

	Staff Scientist	Professor
Average age	41	46
Gender ratio	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%	Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	16%

Differences between staff scientist and professor duties and responsibilities

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.

Professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Instruct students in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, college mathematics, and pharmacology math and dosage calculations.
Educate adult students in medical math, anatomy & physiology, business communications ,
Teach social science subjects including sociology, psychology and human services.
Mentore newly hire philosophy teachers on school culture as well as the program s academic requirements.
Prepare and deliver material to students on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious think.

Staff scientist vs professor skills

Common staff scientist skills

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

Common professor skills

Philosophy, 10%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
C++, 5%
Literature, 5%
Graduate Courses, 4%

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Staff Scientist vs Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

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