Pharmacology Research Scientist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Pharmacology Research Scientist performs scientific research with the aim of discovering new solutions or improving existing ones within the field of use and effects of drugs.
Job Outlook
There were 25 Pharmacology Research Scientist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1534 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Medical Scientist industry, which includes the Pharmacology Research Scientist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Pharmacology Research Scientist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $122,685.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $122,685.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Pharmacology Research Scientist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $85,435.
Education and Experience
Posted Pharmacology Research Scientist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 37.29% |
| Master's Degree | 38.59% |
| Doctoral Degree | 68.06% |
| Other | 1.56% |
Posted Pharmacology Research Scientist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 27.33% |
| 3 to 5 years | 37.8% |
| 6 to 8 years | 18.45% |
| 9+ years | 16.42% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Pharmacology Research Scientist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (47.13%)
- Communication (37.03%)
- Innovation (25.1%)
- Writing (24.19%)
- Presentations (23.99%)
- Leadership (23.34%)
- Management (20.21%)
- Decision Making (17.21%)
- Verbal Communication Skills (15.32%)
- Problem Solving (14.54%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Biotechnology (9.84%)
- Biostatistics (9.57%)
- Biology (40.67%)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (8.42%)
- Pre-Clinical Development (15.95%)
- Pharmaceutical Sciences (45.55%)
- Drug Development (37.2%)
- Pharmacokinetics (48.13%)
- Pharmaceuticals (38.7%)
- Toxicology (6.45%)
- Response Models (9.1%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Office Equipment (1.02%)
- Biomarkers (14.19%)
- Regulatory Documents (14.87%)
- Statistical Analysis (4.14%)
- Small Molecules (15.21%)
- Laboratory Experience (5.84%)
- Laboratory Equipment (4.21%)
- Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) (3.87%)
- Clinical Research (3.05%)
- Antibodies (1.97%)
- Molecular Biology (11.2%)
- Chromatography (2.38%)
- Analytical Techniques (4.14%)
- Cell Biology (10.73%)
- Biochemical Assays (17.58%)
- Biopharmaceuticals (18.67%)
- Chemistry (18.94%)
- Biochemistry (18.81%)
- Immunology (8.08%)
- Clinical Trials (27.29%)
- Flow Cytometry (6.86%)
- Cell Cultures (10.93%)
- Clinical Study Design (12.15%)
- Drug Discovery (21.93%)
- Clinical Study Reports (2.72%)
- Data Management (2.99%)
- Experimental Data (3.87%)
- R (Programming Language) (24.64%)
- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (5.57%)
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent (ELISA) Assay (8.08%)
- Data Analysis (27.09%)
- Life Sciences (6.25%)
- Pharmacodynamics (42.91%)
- Pharmacology (26.34%)
- Medical Writing (0.27%)
- Simulations (7.33%)
- Project Management (5.97%)
- MATLAB (15.21%)
- New Product Development (11.41%)
- Clinical Pharmacology (34.89%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Response Models (13.93%)
- Drug Development (56.96%)
- Pharmaceutical Sciences (69.75%)
- Pharmacokinetics (73.7%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Pharmacology Research Scientist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Pharmacologist
- Clinical Pharmacologist
- Pharmaceutical Scientist
- Director of Pharmacology
- Director of Clinical Pharmacology
- Scientist
- Associate Scientist
- Research Pharmacologist
- Sales Intern
- Principal Scientist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Drug Safety Scientist
- Biomedical Scientist
- Natural Science Research Manager (General)
- Biologist (General)
- Biostatistics Manager / Director
- Assay Development Scientist
- Research Associate (General)
- Clinical Research Director
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Pharmacology Research Scientist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- AbbVie (157)
- Johnson & Johnson (115)
- Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany (72)
- Eli Lilly (63)
- Pfizer (45)
- Actalent (29)
- University of Minnesota (28)
- University at Buffalo (21)
- Gilead Sciences (19)
- GlaxoSmithKline (17)
North Carolina
- Eli Lilly (4)
- Catalent (3)
- Actalent (2)
- Biocryst Pharmaceuticals (2)
- Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany (1)
- Research Triangle Institute (1)
- University of North Carolina (1)
- Campbell University (1)
- AstraZeneca (1)
- RTI International (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.