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The differences between senior principal scientists and assistant research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior principal scientist, becoming an assistant research scientist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior principal scientist has an average salary of $119,042, which is higher than the $62,780 average annual salary of an assistant research scientist.
The top three skills for a senior principal scientist include chemistry, drug discovery and java. The most important skills for an assistant research scientist are research projects, data collection, and data analysis.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,042 | $62,780 |
| Hourly rate | $57.23 | $30.18 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 85,334 | 88,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A Senior Principal Scientist is focused on providing technical and scientific expertise in a specific field. They conduct quantitative and qualitative research to enhance existing products or develop new ones.
An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.
Senior principal scientists and assistant research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,042 | $62,780 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $169,000 | Between $43,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Amazon | University of California |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Education |
There are a few differences between a senior principal scientist and an assistant research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior principal scientists' and assistant research scientists' demographics:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 16.7% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |