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The differences between senior principal scientists and staff 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 staff scientist. Additionally, a senior principal scientist has an average salary of $119,042, which is higher than the $93,941 average annual salary of a staff scientist.
The top three skills for a senior principal scientist include chemistry, drug discovery and java. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,042 | $93,941 |
| Hourly rate | $57.23 | $45.16 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 85,334 | 121,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.
Senior principal scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,042 | $93,941 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $169,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Etsy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior principal scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior principal scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |