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The differences between senior applications scientists 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 senior applications scientist and a principal scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $105,538 average annual salary of a senior applications scientist.
The top three skills for a senior applications scientist include software development, data collection and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a principal scientist are oncology, data analysis, and drug discovery.
| Senior Applications Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $105,538 | $119,982 |
| Hourly rate | $50.74 | $57.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 56,966 | 80,899 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior applications scientist imports and exports data as well as managing user interface security. They must identify issues in their company's database system and resolve them. They are also responsible for designing equipment to automate database systems.
A Principal Scientist is focused on leading scientific teams and conducting research. They ensure that their teams have the resources to properly perform research tasks.
Senior applications scientists and principal scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Applications Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Average salary | $105,538 | $119,982 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $159,000 | Between $84,000 And $169,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rohnert Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Schrödinger | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior applications scientist and a principal scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Applications Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior applications scientists' and principal scientists' demographics:
| Senior Applications Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.1% 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% |