Validation scientist vs doctoral fellow

The differences between validation scientists and doctoral fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a validation scientist and a doctoral fellow. Additionally, a validation scientist has an average salary of $77,661, which is higher than the $53,366 average annual salary of a doctoral fellow.

The top three skills for a validation scientist include FDA, chemistry and GMP. The most important skills for a doctoral fellow are patients, cell culture, and data analysis.

Validation scientist vs doctoral fellow overview

	Validation Scientist	Doctoral Fellow
Yearly salary	$77,661	$53,366
Hourly rate	$37.34	$25.66
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	48,711	22,661
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Doctoral Degree, 46%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a validation scientist do?

A Validation Scientist evaluates and validates products and procedures through the scientific perspective, typically by conducting laboratory tests and experiments. They conduct extensive research and analysis to ensure that products comply with industry standards and specifications, utilizing the research findings to develop solutions and recommendations. They are also in charge of establishing guidelines and test plans, maintaining all procedures while adhering to protocols and regulations. Moreover, a Validation Scientist manages a team of validation staff, working together to reach project goals.

What does a doctoral fellow do?

A doctoral fellow is a physician that has completed studies and receives a fellowship to cover his/her or her expenses while completing his/her or her medical dissertation. A doctor fellow undergoes this fellowship to get additional training for their chosen sub-specialty. During the fellowship period, a fellow can act as an attending physician or consultant physician with other physicians' direct supervision in the sub-specialty field.

Validation scientist vs doctoral fellow salary

Validation scientists and doctoral fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Validation Scientist	Doctoral Fellow
Average salary	$77,661	$53,366
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $109,000	Between $39,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	IBM
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between validation scientist and doctoral fellow education

There are a few differences between a validation scientist and a doctoral fellow in terms of educational background:

	Validation Scientist	Doctoral Fellow
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Doctoral Degree, 46%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Validation scientist vs doctoral fellow demographics

Here are the differences between validation scientists' and doctoral fellows' demographics:

	Validation Scientist	Doctoral Fellow
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%	Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 32.9% White, 47.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between validation scientist and doctoral fellow duties and responsibilities

Validation scientist example responsibilities.

Manage customer complaints investigations using CAPA system.
Develop, implement, and maintain validation procedures according to regulatory requirements/guidelines (GMP, GLP, ICH, USP).
Perform technical writing including documentation of test methods and validation protocols in compliance with FDA regulations.
Audit the GMP labs for inspection readiness.
Conduct investigation process through CAPA system when adverse conditions are find.
Provide front line technical support for document management systems and SQL LIMS.

Doctoral fellow example responsibilities.

Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
Attend courses in drug discovery, python programming, and next-generation sequencing analyses.
Coordinate the validation of data aquisition algorithms (C++, python) for all real and simulate data.
Conduct custom synthesis of organic molecules, key intermediates and building blocks for medicinal chemistry applications.
Design PCL/PLCL drug delivery system for DC immunotherapy.
Succeed in using CRISPR to genetically correct diseas iPSCs.

Validation scientist vs doctoral fellow skills

Common validation scientist skills

FDA, 7%
Chemistry, 7%
GMP, 7%
Data Analysis, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Method Validation, 4%

Common doctoral fellow skills

Patients, 8%
Cell Culture, 6%
Data Analysis, 5%
Research Projects, 5%
Cell Biology, 5%
Immunology, 5%

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Validation Scientist vs Doctoral Fellow

Updated January 8, 2025

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