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The differences between senior research engineers and senior principal 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 senior principal engineer. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $115,047 average annual salary of a senior research engineer.
The top three skills for a senior research engineer include python, java and project management. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Senior Research Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,047 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $55.31 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 120,798 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 senior principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Senior research engineers and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Research Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,047 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $151,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior research engineer and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Research Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior research engineers' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Research Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |