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The differences between senior research engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior research engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a senior research engineer has an average salary of $115,047, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior research engineer include python, java and project management. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Senior Research Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,047 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $55.31 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 120,798 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Senior Research Engineer leads a team of engineers to develop and implement innovative products and technologies. They also provide training and technical support.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Senior research engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Research Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,047 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $151,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior research engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Research Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior research engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Research Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |