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The differences between senior principal scientists and senior 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 principal scientist and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior principal scientist has an average salary of $119,042, which is higher than the $106,672 average annual salary of a senior scientist.
The top three skills for a senior principal scientist include chemistry, drug discovery and java. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,042 | $106,672 |
| Hourly rate | $57.23 | $51.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 85,334 | 49,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A senior scientist is usually in charge of overseeing experiments and evaluating junior scientists' performance, especially in laboratory settings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to assess every progress report to ensure it's accuracy and validity. As a senior scientist in the field, it is essential to lead and encourage fellow scientists in their joint pursuit for scientific innovations, all while adhering to the laboratory's standards and policies.
Senior principal scientists and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,042 | $106,672 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $169,000 | Between $74,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior principal scientist and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior principal scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |