Research psychologist vs senior staff psychologist

The differences between research psychologists and senior staff psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research psychologist and a senior staff psychologist. Additionally, a senior staff psychologist has an average salary of $99,313, which is higher than the $90,440 average annual salary of a research psychologist.

The top three skills for a research psychologist include research projects, research studies and technical reports. The most important skills for a senior staff psychologist are social work, rehabilitation, and correctional.

Research psychologist vs senior staff psychologist overview

	Research Psychologist	Senior Staff Psychologist
Yearly salary	$90,440	$99,313
Hourly rate	$43.48	$47.75
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	58,163	79,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Research psychologist vs senior staff psychologist salary

Research psychologists and senior staff psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Psychologist	Senior Staff Psychologist
Average salary	$90,440	$99,313
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $128,000	Between $68,000 And $143,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Soledad, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Parexel International	Workday
Best paying industry	Technology	Telecommunication

Differences between research psychologist and senior staff psychologist education

There are a few differences between a research psychologist and a senior staff psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Research Psychologist	Senior Staff Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Research psychologist vs senior staff psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between research psychologists' and senior staff psychologists' demographics:

	Research Psychologist	Senior Staff Psychologist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3%	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between research psychologist and senior staff psychologist duties and responsibilities

Research psychologist example responsibilities.

Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
Maintain a leadership role in APA accredit internship and externship match program.
Facilitate therapy groups for children and adolescents.
Provide cognitive-behavioral supervision to 3rd and 4th year psychiatry residents.
Provide didactic presentations to psychiatry trainees, medical students and residents and faculty.
Identify relationships between plasma ion and radical chemistry and the chemical functionality of the deposited organic coatings.

Senior staff psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Research psychologist vs senior staff psychologist skills

Common research psychologist skills

Research Projects, 14%
Research Studies, 9%
Technical Reports, 8%
Mental Health, 7%
Statistical Analyses, 7%
Human Subjects, 5%

Common senior staff psychologist skills

Social Work, 28%
Rehabilitation, 21%
Correctional, 8%
Mental Illness, 5%
Group Therapy, 5%
Individual Therapy, 3%

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Research Psychologist vs Senior Staff Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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