Principle investigator vs staff scientist

The differences between principle investigators and staff 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 staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, 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 staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Principle investigator vs staff scientist overview

	Principle Investigator	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$78,325	$93,941
Hourly rate	$37.66	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	5,554	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Principle investigator vs staff scientist salary

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

	Principle Investigator	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$78,325	$93,941
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $133,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	-	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Etsy
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between principle investigator and staff scientist education

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

	Principle Investigator	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Psychology	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Principle investigator vs staff scientist demographics

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

	Principle Investigator	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between principle investigator and staff 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.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Principle investigator vs staff scientist skills

Common principle investigator skills

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

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

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Principle Investigator
Principle Investigator vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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