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The differences between senior clinical 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 clinical scientist and a principal scientist. Additionally, a senior clinical scientist has an average salary of $124,181, which is higher than the $119,982 average annual salary of a principal scientist.
The top three skills for a senior clinical scientist include informed consent, patients and clinical pharmacology. The most important skills for a principal scientist are oncology, data analysis, and drug discovery.
| Senior Clinical Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $124,181 | $119,982 |
| Hourly rate | $59.70 | $57.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 96,940 | 80,899 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Senior clinical scientists are lead professionals who manage laboratory-based scientists that analyze physiology samples and the interpretation of results that are obtained from diagnostic tests. These scientists must possess scientific knowledge that may help to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases. They are required to collaborate with doctors and other medical staff to interpret test results while identifying suitable treatments for patients. Senior clinical scientists must also present study reports of all their clinical trials and executive project summaries to the senior team.
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 clinical scientists and principal scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Clinical Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Average salary | $124,181 | $119,982 |
| Salary range | Between $97,000 And $158,000 | Between $84,000 And $169,000 |
| Highest paying City | Indianapolis, IN | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | California Resources | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior clinical scientist and a principal scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Clinical Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior clinical scientists' and principal scientists' demographics:
| Senior Clinical Scientist | Principal Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 24.4% White, 55.6% 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% |