How To Become A Principle Investigator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a principle investigator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average principle investigator salary is $78,325. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an psychology major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a principle investigator. Principle investigators with a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 17% and produce 20,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePrinciple InvestigatorUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,325

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 26.45%

Black or African American 6.29%

Hispanic or Latino 9.51%

Unknown 4.08%

White 53.52%

Gender

female 50.09%

male 49.91%

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 principle investigator

Explore principle investigator education requirements

Most common principle investigator degrees

Bachelor's

58.9 %

Master's

19.1 %

Doctorate

15.9 %

Start to develop specific principle investigator skills

Skills	Percentages
GPS	8.63%
Data Collection	8.33%
PI	8.01%
Literature Reviews	7.59%
Data Analysis	6.06%

Complete relevant principle investigator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New principle investigators 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 principle investigator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real principle investigator resumes.

Research principle investigator duties and responsibilities

Manage outsource projects, and interact with vendors for API sourcing, and device components base on project needs.
Promote to perform sequence analysis and identify target primer sites for the development of PCR assays for bacterial species.
Synthesize and analyze experimental data using IBM SPSS.
Investigate the toxicology and efficacy of bioresorbable, polymer-base medical devices and extend release drug delivery system.

Prepare your principle investigator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your principle investigator 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 principle investigator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable principle investigator resume templates

Build a professional principle investigator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your principle investigator resume.