[KSteffensen]

I'll get some downvotes for this but PhD vs master's degree difference is mostly work experience, an element of workload hazing and snobbery.

Somebody with a masters degree and 5 years of work experience will likely know more than a freshly graduated PhD

[eesmith]

Sure, but all we know is that these "13 have a master’s degree (and are currently enroled in Ph.D. studies)". We only know they have at least "2 years of experience in chemistry after their first university-level course in chemistry."

How does that qualify them as "domain experts"? What domain is their expertise? All of chemistry?

[698969]

I think the breadth vs depth thing applies here as well, the PhD will know more about the topic they're researching of course.