Management scientist vs principal scientist

The differences between management scientists 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 management scientist and a principal scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $82,587 average annual salary of a management scientist.

The top three skills for a management scientist include data analysis, project management and FDA. The most important skills for a principal scientist are oncology, data analysis, and drug discovery.

Management scientist vs principal scientist overview

	Management Scientist	Principal Scientist
Yearly salary	$82,587	$119,982
Hourly rate	$39.71	$57.68
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	105,513	80,899
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a management scientist do?

A management scientist manages molecular data. The most preferred skills of an individual who wants to become a management scientist are observation, communication, and critical thinking. They are the ones who are responsible for FDA compliance, operations research, and data analysis of an organization.

What does a principal scientist do?

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.

Management scientist vs principal scientist salary

Management scientists and principal scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Management Scientist	Principal Scientist
Average salary	$82,587	$119,982
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $127,000	Between $84,000 And $169,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between management scientist and principal scientist education

There are a few differences between a management scientist and a principal scientist in terms of educational background:

	Management Scientist	Principal Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Management scientist vs principal scientist demographics

Here are the differences between management scientists' and principal scientists' demographics:

	Management Scientist	Principal Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3%	Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.1% 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%

Differences between management scientist and principal scientist duties and responsibilities

Management scientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Provide in-house TSCA compliance training.
Develop methods for transfer to QC.
Provide data for submissions and reporting, as needed, for FDA requests.
Participate in activities supporting ARGUS database integration (e.g., compilation of product assignment and identification lists).
Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.

Principal scientist example responsibilities.

Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Provide development of and line support for assign immunoassay reagents, calibrators and controls.
Transfer controls to manufacturing for product launch and include all require studies, testing and documentation under GMP guidelines.
Maintain several lab documents for ISO certification.
Understand drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and design stable molecules.
Image visualization and manipulation of background plates for animation and post-processing.

Management scientist vs principal scientist skills

Common management scientist skills

Data Analysis, 50%
Project Management, 15%
FDA, 9%
Risk Assessments, 8%
Statistical Analysis, 5%
QC, 4%

Common principal scientist skills

Oncology, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Drug Discovery, 5%
GMP, 3%
Experimental Design, 3%
Clinical Trials, 3%

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Management Scientist vs Principal Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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