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Principal scientist vs associate director

The differences between principal scientists and associate directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $114,223 average annual salary of an associate director.

The top three skills for a principal scientist include oncology, data analysis and drug discovery. The most important skills for an associate director are patients, healthcare, and project management.

Principal scientist vs associate director overview

Principal ScientistAssociate Director
Yearly salary$119,982$114,223
Hourly rate$57.68$54.91
Growth rate17%8%
Number of jobs80,89972,370
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4147
Years of experience4-

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.

What does an associate director do?

An associate director oversees the daily activities and business operations within a particular area. They are primarily responsible for devising strategies that aim for growth in profit and customer satisfaction, implementing policies and standards, evaluate the workforce, providing support to various departments, and setting goals in terms of budget and sales. Furthermore, they must regularly report progress to the director and coordinate with managers and supervisors in the joint effort to reach the vision and mission of the company.

Principal scientist vs associate director salary

Principal scientists and associate directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal ScientistAssociate Director
Average salary$119,982$114,223
Salary rangeBetween $84,000 And $169,000Between $79,000 And $164,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyPayPalLegalmatch.com
Best paying industryFinancePharmaceutical

Differences between principal scientist and associate director education

There are a few differences between a principal scientist and an associate director in terms of educational background:

Principal ScientistAssociate Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorChemistryBusiness
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Principal scientist vs associate director demographics

Here are the differences between principal scientists' and associate directors' demographics:

Principal ScientistAssociate Director
Average age4147
Gender ratioMale, 76.8% Female, 23.2%Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage8%10%

Differences between principal scientist and associate director duties and responsibilities

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.
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Associate director example responsibilities.

  • Lead implementation of OPPE and FPPE for TJC.
  • Manage accounting, weekly reports, local contacts, and maintenance of sets, props, and costumes.
  • Manage all aspects of music ministry - including arranging all music for schedule services special programs and events.
  • Manage departmental training schedules, work schedules and CPSI electronic medical record (EMR), certifications and competencies.
  • Manage web development and rebranding initiative.
  • Create a coordinate university social media committee quadrupling engagement during campaigns and achieving a national twitter trend during commencement.
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Principal scientist vs associate director skills

Common principal scientist skills
  • Oncology, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Drug Discovery, 5%
  • GMP, 3%
  • Experimental Design, 3%
  • Clinical Trials, 3%
Common associate director skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Healthcare, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Portfolio, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 5%

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