Principle investigator vs medical science liaison

The differences between principle investigators and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principle investigator and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $78,325 average annual salary of a principle investigator.

The top three skills for a principle investigator include GPS, data collection and PI. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Principle investigator vs medical science liaison overview

	Principle Investigator	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$78,325	$145,718
Hourly rate	$37.66	$70.06
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	5,554	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Principle investigator vs medical science liaison salary

Principle investigators and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principle Investigator	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$78,325	$145,718
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $133,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	-	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	-	Tennessee
Best paying company	-	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between principle investigator and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between a principle investigator and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Principle Investigator	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

Principle investigator vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between principle investigators' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Principle Investigator	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between principle investigator and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Principle investigator example 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.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Principle investigator vs medical science liaison skills

Common principle investigator skills

GPS, 9%
Data Collection, 8%
PI, 8%
Literature Reviews, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
Research Projects, 5%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

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Principle Investigator
Principle Investigator vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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