Water chemist vs research chemist

The differences between water chemists and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research chemist has an average salary of $75,843, which is higher than the $57,165 average annual salary of a water chemist.

The top three skills for a water chemist include water samples, QC and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.

Water chemist vs research chemist overview

	Water Chemist	Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,165	$75,843
Hourly rate	$27.48	$36.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	8,829	53,769
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Water chemist vs research chemist salary

Water chemists and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Chemist	Research Chemist
Average salary	$57,165	$75,843
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $83,000	Between $53,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	-	McLean, VA
Highest paying state	-	Virginia
Best paying company	-	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between water chemist and research chemist education

There are a few differences between a water chemist and a research chemist in terms of educational background:

	Water Chemist	Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Water chemist vs research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between water chemists' and research chemists' demographics:

	Water Chemist	Research Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between water chemist and research chemist duties and responsibilities

Water chemist example responsibilities.

Administer various laboratory safety audits with regard to OSHA rules and regulations to maintain adherence and manage necessary corrective actions.
Operate and maintain lab instrumentation such as pH meter, titration apparatus, spectrophotometer, etc.
Design FTIR chemical mapping/imaging experiments to evaluate sample heterogeneity, contamination, diffusion kinetics, dispersion quality and polymer cure uniformity.
Conduct laboratory analysis through the use of atomic absorption spectroscopy, titrations, and spectrophotometry.

Research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage the CDS and LIMS systems for the institute.
Manage and record experimental data with lab management software (LIMS).
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Characterize the particles using SEM, DSC, IR, and UV-Vis.
Identify sample structure using microscopy, crystallography, NMR, UV/VIS, GC and AAS.
Develop GC & FTIR instrumental methods of analysis to support quality of incoming raw materials to ensure quality of finish products.

Water chemist vs research chemist skills

Common water chemist skills

Water Samples, 14%
QC, 13%
Laboratory Equipment, 12%
Water Treatment Plant, 12%
Water Quality, 11%
Laboratory Procedures, 9%

Common research chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Method Development, 10%
R, 9%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Chemistry, 5%
Polymer, 5%

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Water Chemist vs Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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