Principal investigator vs professor

The differences between principal investigators and professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal investigator, becoming a professor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a professor has an average salary of $157,570, which is higher than the $84,635 average annual salary of a principal investigator.

The top three skills for a principal investigator include patients, data collection and project management. The most important skills for a professor are philosophy, curriculum development, and mathematics.

Principal investigator vs professor overview

	Principal Investigator	Professor
Yearly salary	$84,635	$157,570
Hourly rate	$40.69	$75.75
Growth rate	5%	12%
Number of jobs	44,475	21,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	47	46
Years of experience	4	2

What does a principal investigator do?

A Principal Investigator is the primary person who is responsible for designing, conducting, and reporting a research project. They report to a designated official such as the department head or division chief.

What does a professor do?

A professor is a teaching professional who provides instructions to students on various academic and vocational subjects in colleges, universities, and vocational schools. Professors design curriculums for courses and ensure that they meet college and department students. They continuously conduct research and experiments so that advanced knowledge in their field is completed. They share their research and works by publishing them in books and academic journals. They also provide assistance to graduating students.

Principal investigator vs professor salary

Principal investigators and professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Investigator	Professor
Average salary	$84,635	$157,570
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $120,000	Between $88,000 And $280,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Incyte	Oregon Health & Science University
Best paying industry	Technology	Education

Differences between principal investigator and professor education

There are a few differences between a principal investigator and a professor in terms of educational background:

	Principal Investigator	Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Principal investigator vs professor demographics

Here are the differences between principal investigators' and professors' demographics:

	Principal Investigator	Professor
Average age	47	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8%	Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between principal investigator and professor duties and responsibilities

Principal investigator example responsibilities.

Serve chemistry project leads for two early-stage drug discovery projects.
Design, build and manage CADD, NMR and MRI facilities.
Attain IRB approval, recruit participants, analyze the data and present results
Manage outsource projects, and interact with vendors for API sourcing, and device components base on project needs.
Conduct research using industry standards: GCP, GLP, SORP and compliance with IRB.
Receive IRB approval and clearance for research

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Professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Instruct students in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, college mathematics, and pharmacology math and dosage calculations.
Educate adult students in medical math, anatomy & physiology, business communications ,
Teach social science subjects including sociology, psychology and human services.
Mentore newly hire philosophy teachers on school culture as well as the program s academic requirements.
Prepare and deliver material to students on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious think.

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Principal investigator vs professor skills

Common principal investigator skills

Patients, 10%
Data Collection, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Technical Reports, 6%
FDA, 4%
Data Analysis, 4%

Common professor skills

Philosophy, 10%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
C++, 5%
Literature, 5%
Graduate Courses, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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