Principle investigator vs principal scientist

The differences between principle investigators and principal 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 principle investigator and a principal scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, 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 principal scientist are oncology, data analysis, and drug discovery.

Principle investigator vs principal scientist overview

	Principle Investigator	Principal Scientist
Yearly salary	$78,325	$119,982
Hourly rate	$37.66	$57.68
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	5,554	80,899
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Principle investigator vs principal scientist salary

Principle investigators and principal scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principle Investigator	Principal Scientist
Average salary	$78,325	$119,982
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $133,000	Between $84,000 And $169,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between principle investigator and principal scientist education

There are a few differences between a principle investigator and a principal scientist in terms of educational background:

	Principle Investigator	Principal Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Psychology	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Principle investigator vs principal scientist demographics

Here are the differences between principle investigators' and principal scientists' demographics:

	Principle Investigator	Principal Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1%	Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2%
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, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between principle investigator and principal scientist 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.

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.

Principle investigator vs principal scientist skills

Common principle investigator skills

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

Common principal scientist skills

Oncology, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Drug Discovery, 5%
GMP, 3%
Experimental Design, 3%
Clinical Trials, 3%

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Principle Investigator
Principle Investigator vs Principal Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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