What does a Pharmaceutical Scientist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted Expert
Scott Johnson

Pharmaceutical scientists must have master's degrees or doctorates in pharmacology, chemistry, biology, anatomy, or math. Paid around $86K per year, those who choose this career path perform drug discovery research, development, and testing. They also execute experiments for system-based research projects aimed at introducing new drugs to the marketplace.

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Pharmaceutical scientist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real pharmaceutical scientist resumes:

  • Manage collaborations with external CROs.
  • Perform testing of raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products for release and stability in compliance with GMP.
  • Validate new methods to quantify chemical composition to support the stability programs associate with new drug products submit to the FDA.
  • Review CMC and regulatory filings.
  • Optimize the manufacturing process on NDA product.
  • Coordinate the maintenance and calibration of HPLC systems.
  • Trace metals USP and EP analyses on pharmaceuticals.
  • Represent TPUSA CMC on project teams as assigned by supervisor.
  • Perform weekly bioassay under GLP guidelines to measure potency of erythropoietin samples.
  • Develop and validate stability-indicating HPLC, GC and other methods for various sponsors.
  • Prepare stability data tables into format that can be used by new labs or internalize for submission to FDA.
  • Perform many experiments on the completed API formulation using dissolution testing to determine the potential rate of absorption of the drug.
  • Conduct technology comparison study to assess applicability of a wide range of chromatography products to support specific HTS assays.
  • Conduct multi-step synthesis of heterocyclic small molecules for hit-to-lead and lead optimization programs and characterize compounds by utilizing LCMS and NMR.

Pharmaceutical scientist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Pharmaceutical Scientists are proficient in Dosage Forms, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Formulation Development.

We break down the percentage of Pharmaceutical Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Dosage Forms, 13%

    Supervised or conducted approximately one dozen process validation projects including tablets, capsules, liquids and ointment dosage forms.

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences, 7%

    Identified various areas of interest among members for advancement of the pharmaceutical sciences.

  • Formulation Development, 6%

    Developed business validation and valuation of a medium-throughput topical formulation development platform for screening of multiple lead compounds.

  • HPLC, 6%

    Developed and validated stability-indicating HPLC, GC and other methods for various sponsors.

  • DSC, 5%

    Conceptualized and developed an analytical method for evaluating onset of melting point as a fast and potential orthogonal method to DSC.

  • FTIR, 5%

    Identify and report results of foreign material in beverages from consumer complaints or manufacturing using FTIR technology.

Most pharmaceutical scientists use their skills in "dosage forms," "pharmaceutical sciences," and "formulation development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential pharmaceutical scientist responsibilities here:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a pharmaceutical scientist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what pharmaceutical scientists do because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Additionally, a pharmaceutical scientist resume shows how pharmaceutical scientists use communication skills: "display good communication skills, practical dexterity and attention to detail. "

Observation skills. Another essential skill to perform pharmaceutical scientist duties is observation skills. Pharmaceutical scientists responsibilities require that "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." Pharmaceutical scientists also use observation skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maintained a clean and safe work environment while making observations and calculations in a laboratory notebook. "

See the full list of pharmaceutical scientist skills

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Compare different pharmaceutical scientists

Pharmaceutical scientist vs. Fellow

A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities. Furthermore, a fellow must adhere to the institution or organization's policies and regulations at all times, meet all the requirements and outputs involved, and coordinate with every person in the workforce.

We looked at the average pharmaceutical scientist salary and compared it with the wages of a fellow. Generally speaking, fellows are paid $13,171 lower than pharmaceutical scientists per year.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, pharmaceutical scientist responsibilities require skills like "dosage forms," "pharmaceutical sciences," "formulation development," and "hplc." Meanwhile a typical fellow has skills in areas such as "patients," "professional development," "veterans," and "mathematics." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Fellows earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $67,978. On the other hand, pharmaceutical scientists are paid more in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $87,697.fellows tend to reach lower levels of education than pharmaceutical scientists. In fact, fellows are 6.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Pharmaceutical scientist vs. Researcher

A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.

A career as a researcher brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a pharmaceutical scientist. In fact, researchers salary is $12,390 lower than the salary of pharmaceutical scientists per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both pharmaceutical scientists and researchers have skills such as "hplc," "r," and "liquid chromatography. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, pharmaceutical scientist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "dosage forms," "pharmaceutical sciences," "formulation development," and "dsc." Meanwhile, a researcher has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "lab equipment," "c++," and "data analysis." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Researchers tend to reach lower levels of education than pharmaceutical scientists. In fact, they're 9.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Pharmaceutical Scientists in the next 3-5 years?

Scott Johnson

Professor and Director, University of Maine

Computer programming to process large data sets, big data analytics, machine learning, remote sensing data, and incorporating them into more complex systems models are all gaining significant traction. Jobs that involve traditional field skills and mapping are becoming fewer. In contrast, jobs requiring someone to manage large amounts of remotely acquired ground, airborne, or satellite data in high spatial and temporal resolution with moderate amounts of ground truth data are becoming more prevalent. Field data are still incredibly important, but the goal is to upscale our observations across broader areas faster, more efficiently, and more accurately-the ability to use sensors properly to collect data. Learning a foreign language may open doors for some students who want to travel.

Pharmaceutical scientist vs. Research fellow

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

An average research fellow eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of pharmaceutical scientists. The difference in salaries amounts to research fellows earning a $25,712 lower average salary than pharmaceutical scientists.Using the responsibilities included on pharmaceutical scientists and research fellows resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "hplc," "ftir," and "fda.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from pharmaceutical scientist resumes include skills like "dosage forms," "pharmaceutical sciences," "formulation development," and "dsc," whereas a research fellow is more likely to list skills in "patients," "research projects," "data analysis," and "cell culture. "

Research fellows earn the best pay in the non profits industry, where they command an average salary of $57,261. Pharmaceutical scientists earn the highest pay from the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $87,697.research fellows typically earn similar educational levels compared to pharmaceutical scientists. Specifically, they're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 21.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Pharmaceutical scientist vs. Doctoral fellow

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.

Doctoral fellows tend to earn a lower pay than pharmaceutical scientists by an average of $26,169 per year.According to resumes from pharmaceutical scientists and doctoral fellows, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "hplc," "r," and "clinical trials. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between pharmaceutical scientists and doctoral fellows, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a pharmaceutical scientist might have more use for skills like "dosage forms," "pharmaceutical sciences," "formulation development," and "dsc." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of doctoral fellows require skills like "patients," "cell culture," "data analysis," and "research projects. "

In general, doctoral fellows earn the most working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $67,423. The highest-paying industry for a pharmaceutical scientist is the pharmaceutical industry.In general, doctoral fellows hold lower degree levels compared to pharmaceutical scientists. Doctoral fellows are 7.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 35.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of pharmaceutical scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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