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The differences between principal scientists and chief 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 principal scientist and a chief scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $108,046 average annual salary of a chief scientist.
The top three skills for a principal scientist include oncology, data analysis and drug discovery. The most important skills for a chief scientist are DOD, RF, and IC.
| Principal Scientist | Chief Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,982 | $108,046 |
| Hourly rate | $57.68 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 80,899 | 60,741 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Chief scientists supervise, plan, and budget the funds for research activities to publish their discoveries with influential publication companies. By doing commentaries with the press and media, they spread their knowledge about science to the public. They are mentors or coaches to non-professional scientists and help them build a case to get their promotion. For their subordinates to feel motivated to reach their goals when working on research projects, chief scientists must maintain a professional, creative, but engaging environment.
Principal scientists and chief scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Scientist | Chief Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,982 | $108,046 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $169,000 | Between $69,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal scientist and a chief scientist in terms of educational background:
| Principal Scientist | Chief Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Physics |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between principal scientists' and chief scientists' demographics:
| Principal Scientist | Chief Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |