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The differences between bioinformaticians and principal scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a bioinformatician and a principal scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $71,359 average annual salary of a bioinformatician.
The top three skills for a bioinformatician include python, data analysis and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a principal scientist are oncology, data analysis, and drug discovery.
| Bioinformatician | Principal Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,359 | $119,982 |
| Hourly rate | $34.31 | $57.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 16,034 | 80,899 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Bioinformaticians are experts who are responsible for developing and conducting research by using methods and software tools to collect and analyze complex biological data. By combining their research in biology, medicine, and health-related studies with information technology, these bioinformaticians are required to interpret data that covers areas such as genetics or pharmaceutics. They must develop databases to compile a large amount of information from activities such as gene expression profiling and protein expression. Bioinformaticians must also maintain laboratory documents and keep updated with scientific or medical journals.
A Principal Scientist is focused on leading scientific teams and conducting research. They ensure that their teams have the resources to properly perform research tasks.
Bioinformaticians and principal scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bioinformatician | Principal Scientist | |
| Average salary | $71,359 | $119,982 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $127,000 | Between $84,000 And $169,000 |
| Highest paying City | Branford, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a bioinformatician and a principal scientist in terms of educational background:
| Bioinformatician | Principal Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Biostatistics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between bioinformaticians' and principal scientists' demographics:
| Bioinformatician | Principal Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 39.0% White, 42.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |