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The differences between senior staff scientists and senior staff engineers 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 staff scientist, becoming a senior staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $123,740 average annual salary of a senior staff scientist.
The top three skills for a senior staff scientist include data analysis, FDA and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.
| Senior Staff Scientist | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $123,740 | $136,031 |
| Hourly rate | $59.49 | $65.40 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 113,265 | 239,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Senior Staff Scientist is responsible for supervising projects and activities of a company. They manage the technical, budgetary, and scheduling aspects of scientific research projects.
A senior staff engineer is responsible for supervising a team of engineers, chemists, software developers, or molecular biologists. His/Her or her responsibilities include generating Structured Query Language (SQL) performance audit checklist template, creating SQL data query routines and functions for data extraction, and working directly with stakeholders. The job requires strong mechanical, listening, and mathematical skills and proficiency in Python programming language and computer architecture and hardware. The education requirements for the job include a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, business, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
Senior staff scientists and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Scientist | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $123,740 | $136,031 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $177,000 | Between $95,000 And $194,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior staff scientist and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Scientist | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Duke University | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
Here are the differences between senior staff scientists' and senior staff engineers' demographics:
| Senior Staff Scientist | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.7% Female, 25.3% | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |