Even in this recession it pays to be a scientist.
The Scientist, a life sciences magazine, has issued its annual salary survey and the numbers look good, especially if you're a guy.
Among the findings: Female scientists overall have 25 percent lower salaries than their male colleagues.
The overall compensation for life scientists increased 5 percent since 2008.
More than 4,700 scientists reported their salaries and other demographic information for the annual survey.
But all the news was not good. The magazine, which will print the survey results in its September issue, found what many in this area already know: companies are cutting jobs even as they keep salaries steady for their top talent. In addition, colleges are having employees take furloughs and, when they're hiring at all, filling cheaper, non-tenured positions.
Other survey results:
— Immunologists working on H1N1 vaccine development and biophysicists working on biofuels research are among the highest paid.
— Work in patents, licensing, trademarks — anything that helps bring a product to market — or clinical research and you'll make 30 percent more than the average lab researcher.
— In North Carolina, scientists in Raleigh-Durham get paid more — the median salary is $93,500 — than those in the Winston Salem-Greensboro area where the median pay is $80,000.
For more stats, go to www.the-scientist.com/salarysurvey
Mary Cornatzer has worked at The News & Observer for more than 25 years, covering the local music industry, state movie industry and travel. She has been the paper's Business editor since 2000. Contact Mary at 919-829-4755 or 
Comments
Productus Maximus
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 17:11 — eshavmIt's pretty clear that the science types who deal with something that goes to market would be the best paid in the field. Best case scenario is an invention that takes off of course, but it's also the case even when helping someone else work the kinks out of their product or service idea so they can get on with the trademark search and, ultimately, to the business of making money. Indeed, the market determines all of our salaries and if there were no demand for science education (whatever the reasons), there would be no science teachers at all.