Dear Gratien Twagirayezu ,

Each country has its own rules for classifying a teacher or researcher.

However, for logical and natural reasons, your life experience and your age can serve you if you are not stuck in bureaucratic processes of each nation.

Thank you very much for this question!

My best regards,

Wiltgen

Thank you very much prof.Filipe Wiltgen

Dear Gratien Twagirayezu for potentially useful answers to your question please have a look at the following closely related discussion:

Principal Research Scientist vs. Senior Research Scientist?

https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/30887/principal-research-scientist-vs-senior-research-scientist

Thank you very much Frank T.Edelmann

Dear Gratien Twagirayezu

Both of them, just as Faculty members, are PI's and can run their own research groups. In addition, Principal Research Scientist falls under "Sponsored Research Staff Appointments" category, whereas Senior Research Scientist falls under "Academic Research Staff Appointments.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Qamar Ul Islam

Dear Prof.Qamar UI Islam

Thank you very much for your contribution

Thank you very much Prof.Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak

Principal Research Scientist and Senior Research Scientist can be totally different in different companies.

For example: Principal(a step away from associate Fellow)>senior staff>staff>senior. In company A, Principal Scientist is just at the same level as staff or senior in company B. You can start as senior scientist in company A, but may be just scientist in company B. The amount of the salary tells different story.

Dear Prof.Guobing Xiang

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your contribution

Principal is like boss and Senior is like his/her very close staff. Boths are near about same

Dear Nagendra Yadav

Thank you very much for your contribution.

Stay healthy

Dear Gratien Twagirayezu thank you for your interesting technical question. In my personal experience the principal research scientist / principal researcher / principal investigator (these terms can be used interchangeably) is normally the professor (assistant / associate / full professor) who leads a research group. This professor is the researcher who conceives the research directions for the group, writes the papers, and especially writes the research grant applications.

A senior research scientist is often a co-worker who has a permanent position in the group. Normally these researchers also have a PhD degree but are not professors. In our discipline, chemistry, the senior research scientists are often responsible for one or more important measurement instruments (NMR, IR, X-ray diffraction) and thus have a key service function within the group. Sometimes they are called the "lieutenants" of the professors. That's how I know it from my 40+ years of chemical research.

For some additional information please have a look at the following useful link:

(Principal) Research Scientist

https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/the-new-faculty-handbook/3-titles-and-appointments-leaves/3-1-titles/principal-research-scientist/

Senior research scientist have more experienced in their field. While principal research scintest may be specific.

Dear Prof.Frank T. Edelmann

Very well narrated!

Thank you very much for your contribution.

Dear Prof.Hermann Gruenwald

I really appreciate your contribution

Stay healthy

Dear Zaib Ullah

God bless you, God bless your family

Excellent debate by colleagues I think everything has been said, the essence is to contribute to the research from the role that corresponds to us

Dear Celín Pérez Nájera

Yeah! Now everything is obvious

Dear Gratien Twagirayezu

I agree with Prof. Frank T. Edelmann

In my field, computer engineering, things are almost the same.

In addition, Principal Research Scientist falls under "Sponsored Research Staff Appointments" category, whereas Senior Research Scientist falls under "Academic Research Staff Appointments".

Dear Devidas Bhagat Abdelhameed Ibrahim

Well narrated!

I thank you very much

Blessing from heaven upon you.

Stay health at all.

These are just nomenclature. A principal is a very experienced researcher, as is the senior. Senior is opposed to junior. Principal is opposed to secondary or assistant researcher.

Thank you Jose Risomar Sousa for your greatest contribution

Stay healthy

I believe a Principal Research Scientist is a higher research position compared to a Senior Research Scientist. Ultimately, the two research positions require competence in the research areas of interest with proven academic and/or industrial experience. Thanks.

Principal Research Scientist is more senior to Senior Research Scientist