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Associate Scientist Jobs in Springfield, VA (NOW HIRING)

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Associate Scientist information

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$19

$37

$60

How much do associate scientist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 16, 2026, the average hourly pay for associate scientist in Springfield, VA is $37.52, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $29.13 and $42.69 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What can I use my Associates in science degree for?

An Associate Scientist with a science degree can work in laboratories, research facilities, or quality control environments, performing experiments, data analysis, and sample testing. The degree provides foundational knowledge in biology, chemistry, or related fields and often requires familiarity with laboratory equipment and safety protocols.

Is an associate scientist entry level?

An associate scientist position is often considered an entry-level or early-career role in research and development, typically requiring a bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field. It involves performing experiments, data analysis, and supporting scientific projects, with opportunities for skill development and advancement. However, some organizations may require prior experience or specific certifications depending on the complexity of the work.

What degree do you need to be an associate scientist?

An associate scientist typically holds at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as biology, chemistry, or related sciences. Advanced roles may require a master's degree or higher, along with laboratory skills and experience with scientific tools and techniques.

What are some common challenges an Associate Scientist might face when transitioning from academia to industry?

Associate Scientists moving from academia to industry often encounter challenges such as adapting to a faster-paced environment and focusing on project-driven outcomes rather than open-ended research. In industry, there is a stronger emphasis on teamwork, meeting strict deadlines, and following standardized protocols. Adjusting to these expectations, learning new technologies, and effectively communicating results to cross-functional teams are key areas where new hires may need support.

What does an Associate Scientist do?

An Associate Scientist is a professional who supports research and development projects, typically in fields like biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, or environmental science. They conduct experiments, analyze data, and document results under the supervision of senior scientists. Associate Scientists play a key role in advancing scientific knowledge and product development by performing laboratory tasks, maintaining equipment, and following established protocols. Their work contributes to discoveries, quality control, and regulatory compliance within their organization.

What Is an Associate Scientist?

An associate scientist takes on more responsibilities than an assistant scientist, supporting research and each experiment under the lead scientist, often in a laboratory environment. As an associate scientist, there are many industries you can work in, including the research field where the lead scientist oversees your project, and you help author papers. Many pharmaceutical companies hire associate scientists to analyze samples to develop drugs and assist with preclinical and clinical studies. Private companies need you to produce specialty chemicals for their clients. Materials scientists at the associate level conduct research and test the properties of metals, plastics, and other materials for their use in new products and packaging. Some positions have duties that include training other team members and overseeing students and fellows.

What is the role of an associate scientist?

An associate scientist conducts research, experiments, and data analysis to support scientific projects within a laboratory or research environment. They often assist senior scientists, follow established protocols, and use laboratory tools and techniques to gather and interpret data. This role typically requires a relevant degree in a scientific field and attention to detail.

What is the difference between Associate Scientist vs Research Scientist?

AspectAssociate ScientistResearch Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field; some roles may require a PhDTypically a Master's or PhD in a related discipline
Work EnvironmentLaboratories, research facilities, industry settingsResearch labs, academic institutions, industry
Employer & Industry UsageBiotech, pharmaceuticals, academia, governmentBiotech, pharmaceuticals, academia, government
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding entry-level or mid-level research rolesAdvanced research roles, career progression

Associate Scientists and Research Scientists often work in similar environments within biotech, pharma, or academic sectors. The main difference lies in experience and educational requirements, with Research Scientists typically holding higher degrees and engaging in more independent or advanced research. Both roles are essential for scientific progress, but Research Scientists usually have more responsibility and autonomy in their projects.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Associate Scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Associate Scientist, you generally need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant scientific field, along with strong analytical and laboratory skills. Familiarity with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), data analysis software, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) is often required. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective teamwork are vital soft skills that distinguish top performers. These skills ensure accurate data collection, reliable experimental outcomes, and productive collaboration within research or product development teams.
More about Associate Scientist jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Scientist jobs in Springfield, VA? The most popular types of Scientist jobs in Springfield, VA are:
What cities near Springfield, VA are hiring for Associate Scientist jobs? Cities near Springfield, VA with the most Associate Scientist job openings:
Associate Scientist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Associate Scientist job openings in Springfield, VA as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, and 13% Contract. Highlights an 94% In-person, and 6% Hybrid job distribution, with an average salary of $78,050 per year, or $37.5 per hour.
Principal Associate, Data Scientist - Retail Bank

Principal Associate, Data Scientist - Retail Bank

Capital One

Mclean, VA • On-site

$59K - $60K/yr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Capital One rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 143 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

76th of 149 rated banks

Job description

Principal Associate, Data Scientist - Retail Bank

Data is at the center of everything we do. As a startup, we disrupted the credit card industry by individually personalizing every credit card offer using statistical modeling and the relational database, cutting edge technology in 1988! Fast-forward a few years, and this little innovation and our passion for data has skyrocketed us to a Fortune 200 company and a leader in the world of data-driven decision-making.

As a Data Scientist at Capital One, you'll be part of a team that's leading the next wave of disruption at a whole new scale, using the latest in computing and machine learning technologies and operating across billions of customer records to unlock the big opportunities that help everyday people save money, time and agony in their financial lives.

Team Description

The back office of the future will help identify when we fail to help our customers, when our customers are satisfied, and further help our bank identify process failures. That future is already occurring. If you enjoy building and working with light web applications while forecasting all of the cash needs of our customers then a position on the Bank Operations Data Science team is the right spot for you. Our solutions run the gamut from basic time series forecasting to advanced optimization and focus on not only identifying potential issues but providing an interpretable output that front line agents can use to better help meet our customers' needs.

Role Description

In this role, you will:

  • Partner with a cross-functional team of data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to deliver a product customers love

  • Leverage a broad stack of technologies - Python, Conda, AWS, H2O, Spark, and more - to reveal the insights hidden within huge volumes of numeric and textual data

  • Build machine learning models through all phases of development, from design through training, evaluation, validation, and implementation

  • Flex your interpersonal skills to translate the complexity of your work into tangible business goals

The Ideal Candidate is:

  • Innovative. You continually research and evaluate emerging technologies. You stay current on published state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and applications and seek out opportunities to apply them.

  • Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You're not afraid to share a new idea.

  • Technical. You're comfortable with open-source languages and are passionate about developing further. You have hands-on experience developing data science solutions using open-source tools and cloud computing platforms.

  • Statistically-minded. You've built models, validated them, and backtested them. You know how to interpret a confusion matrix or a ROC curve. You have experience with clustering, classification, sentiment analysis, time series, and deep learning.

  • A data guru. "Big data" doesn't faze you. You have the skills to retrieve, combine, and analyze data from a variety of sources and structures. You know understanding the data is often the key to great data science.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining a Bachelor's Degree plus 2 years of experience in data analytics, or currently has, or is in the process of obtaining Master's Degree, or currently has, or is in the process of obtaining PhD, with an expectation that required degree will be obtained on or before the scheduled start date

  • At least 1 year of experience in open source programming languages for large scale data analysis

  • At least 1 year of experience with machine learning

  • At least 1 year of experience with relational databases

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in "STEM" field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics), or PhD in "STEM" field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics)

  • Experience working with AWS

  • At least 2 years' experience in Python, Scala, or R

  • At least 2 years' experience with machine learning

  • At least 2 years' experience with SQL

Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

McLean, VA: $161,800 - $184,600 for Princ Associate, Data Science


Richmond, VA: $147,100 - $167,900 for Princ Associate, Data Science










Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at theCapital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.

If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com

Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.

Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).

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