Research Scientist Career Path

Are you thinking of becoming a research scientist or already started your career and planning the next step? Learn how to become a research scientist, what skills you need to succeed, how to advance your career and get promoted, and what levels of pay to expect at each step on your career path. Explore new research scientist job openings and options for career transitions into related roles.

Seniority Levels

L2

Research Scientist

Alias: Associate Research Scientist, Assistant Research Scientist...(3)
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2 - 4Years of Experience
$ 77,173Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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80% advanced to

L3

Senior Research Scientist

Alias: Research Scientist III, Journeyman Research Scientist
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2 - 4Years of Experience
$ 94,774Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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L4

Leader of Research

Alias: Research Scientist IV, Staff Research Scientist...(4)
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5 - 7Years of Experience
$ 95,593Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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Salary Trajectory

Research Scientist Career Path

$200K
$163K
$125K
$88K
$50K
L2
L4
L6
L8
L12
Seniority Levels
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Important Skill Sets for the Research Scientist Career Path

PHD
Statistics
Machine Learning
Excellent Communication

Research Scientist Career Transitions

Your skills as a research scientist can prepare you to transition into related roles, such as formulation scientist or qc chemist, which could open up different career paths for you. Below are the most common research scientist career transitions, along with typical salaries and skill requirements.

Formulation Scientist
6% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$ 60,832Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
1/8Skills Shared
Qc Chemist
17% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$ 53,460Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
No Skills Shared
Materials Scientist
9% made the transition
5 - 7Years of Experience
$ 67,970Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
No Skills Shared
Chemist
10% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$ 51,280Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
1/8Skills Shared