Feeling undervalued in Job application process . . . Is this normal ?

I recently completed my PhD where I focused on olfaction. During grad school I transitioned from wet-lab to computational biologist. I have experience running high-throughput assays, doing molecular biology, and leading computational analyses. To supplement my self learned computational biologist, I’ve also interned as an ML data scientist in a startup. On the side, I have also built an AI/ML pipeline to predict GPCR–ligand interactions, which aligns closely with my research focus.

Current situation:

I was referred to a large fragrance/flavor biotech company. They have two openings, both job description is largely overlapping however senior position aligns with my background more whereas associate is more general:

- Senior Data Scientist (PhD + 3–7 yoe), 130-180
- Associate Data Scientist (MS + 3–5 yoe), 100-140

I applied for the Senior role and was immediately declined due to not meeting the stated years of experience, but was invited to interview for the Associate position instead. I’m now at the final round. What’s giving me pause is that most people on LinkedIn in the Associate DS role appear to have BS/MS backgrounds, while PhDs tend to enter at the Scientist level. A few aspects of the process have also shifted—initially there was supposed to be an on-site final round, but it’s now remote due to travel restrictions, and the role doesn’t provide relocation support. In early conversations, the expected salary was described as around 105–108, but more recently the recruiter mentioned 120 instead; I’m not sure if the earlier range was forgotten or revised. Having never lived on the West Coast, it’s hard for me to gauge whether 120 is realistically sufficient for San Diego, which adds another layer of uncertainty.

Given my direct experience in what they are looking for, my hands-on work with high-throughput experiments, and the computational/ML pipelines I’ve built that are directly aligned with what this team works on, I’m feeling conflicted about interviewing for a role that seems to undervalue that background. I understand years of experience matter, but I had hoped that my domain expertise and the concrete projects I’ve delivered would carry more weight than the strict YOE requirement.

My questions:

1. If I receive an offer for the Associate role, is it reasonable to ask to be reconsidered for the Senior position or a Scientist-level role instead?
2. How big is the practical difference between “Associate Data Scientist” and “Data Scientist” in industry (responsibility, growth, compensation, etc.)? (Looks like it at least takes 2 years at each position to be promoted based on various profiles)
3. Is it common for people to relocate across the country without ever visiting the city or office first?

I’d appreciate any perspective and trying to make a thoughtful decision without overestimating or undervaluing myself.

Thanks in advance!