Principal investigator vs research project coordinator

The differences between principal investigators and research project coordinators 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 research project coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal investigator has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $48,683 average annual salary of a research project coordinator.

The top three skills for a principal investigator include patients, data collection and project management. The most important skills for a research project coordinator are data collection, patients, and project management.

Principal investigator vs research project coordinator overview

	Principal Investigator	Research Project Coordinator
Yearly salary	$84,635	$48,683
Hourly rate	$40.69	$23.41
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	44,475	67,800
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	44
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 research project coordinator do?

Research Project Coordinators take on a lead role in maintaining and creating processes that support the execution of a research project. Their duties include researching governance requirements, preparing for contract bidding, manage budgeting of a project to meet a specified timeline, and present findings of a project to all stakeholders involved. The Research Project Coordinator will also support administrative tasks, including producing corporate reports, organizing committee meetings, and developing a research database to track active milestones achieved.

Principal investigator vs research project coordinator salary

Principal investigators and research project coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Investigator	Research Project Coordinator
Average salary	$84,635	$48,683
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $120,000	Between $36,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Middletown, CT
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Incyte	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between principal investigator and research project coordinator education

There are a few differences between a principal investigator and a research project coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Principal Investigator	Research Project Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Principal investigator vs research project coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between principal investigators' and research project coordinators' demographics:

	Principal Investigator	Research Project Coordinator
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
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, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 13.3% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	16%	9%

Differences between principal investigator and research project coordinator 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

Research project coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage study documentation throughout study life cycle including IRB annual renewals, modifications, patient study charts and regulatory binder.
Recommend administrative revisions to IRB submit studies including inform consent documents.
Demonstrate small molecule are protective against DNA damage in mouse model of melanoma.
Conduct analysis using SPSS which result in developing a new software for students to selecting college.
Conduct primary research through interviews with Boston area travelers and analyze raw data into reports via SPSS.
Maintain FDA correspondence and government documentation.

Principal investigator vs research project coordinator skills

Common principal investigator skills

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

Common research project coordinator skills

Data Collection, 12%
Patients, 9%
Project Management, 6%
Public Health, 5%
IRB, 5%
Data Analysis, 4%

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Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator vs Research Project Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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