Do you need a Ph.D. to be a principal scientist?

No, you need a Ph.D. to be a principal scientist. At a minimum, you'll need a master's degree, but employers may require a doctorate in some cases. It largely comes down to the industry and the amount of hands-on experience you have.

How do you get promoted to principal scientist?

To get promoted to principal scientist requires putting in the time, standing out as a leader, going that extra mile, having good people skills, and understanding the relationship between the business and technical side of things.

How much do principal scientists make?

Principal scientists make $125,000 a year, on average ($60.12 an hour). However, there is a considerable range in how much a principal scientist can make - starting from as little as $97,000 to as high as $160,000 a year. Factors such as location and industry impact how much a principal scientist can make.

Is a principal scientist higher than a senior scientist?

Yes, a principal scientist is higher than a senior scientist. The principal scientist is generally the person who runs their own research laboratory. A senior research scientist works in a principal scientist's lab, usually with a high degree of independence.

What is the hierarchy of job titles for scientists?

The hierarchy of job titles for scientists includes two to three levels of scientist roles followed by senior and principal roles. An entry-level position as a scientist is known as a Scientist I position.

How To Become A Principal Scientist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a principal scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

Principal scientists are responsible for planning and performing experiments and investigations. They mostly operate from laboratories and are expected to maintain a high degree of scientific prowess.

Principal scientists perform experiments in areas such as medical research, geoscience, biological research, chemistry research, or pharmacology. The ultimate objective for a principal scientist is to provide new information or to explain reasons for various phenomena.

Principal scientists work closely with professionals in their field of work. They can work in universities, government laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, research organizations, chemical companies, or environmental agencies.

Successful principal scientists must have excellent communication skills, research and report-writing skills, analytical skills, and the relevant technical skills. They should also have in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory laws in their area of work.

Principal scientists mostly work in a laboratory setting. They work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Occasionally, they may be required to work late hours and over the weekends when they are handling urgent projects.

What general advice would you give to a Principal Scientist?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScorePrincipal ScientistUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $119,982

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.3

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.40%

Black or African American 6.35%

Hispanic or Latino 9.58%

Unknown 4.10%

White 53.43%

Gender

female 23.24%

male 76.76%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a principal scientist

Explore principal scientist education requirements

Most common principal scientist degrees

Bachelor's

50.7 %

Doctorate

32.7 %

Master's

14.2 %

Start to develop specific principal scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Oncology	6.99%
Data Analysis	6.36%
Drug Discovery	4.98%
GMP	2.80%
Experimental Design	2.76%

Complete relevant principal scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New principal scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a principal scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real principal scientist resumes.

Research principal scientist duties and 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.

Get principal scientist experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a principal scientist. The most common roles before becoming a principal scientist include senior scientist, scientist team lead and research fellow.

Prepare your principal scientist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your principal scientist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a principal scientist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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