Salary data · Updated daily
Staff science and research salaries in the United States
Median $250k a year across 49 live postings that publish pay; the middle half runs from $212k to $275k. 92% of the 53 live postings in this segment publish a band at all.
The middle half: $212k to $275k. The ends are folded into the outer bars.
- Entry level$121k
- Mid level$204k
- Senior$171k
- Staff (this page)$250k
- Principal$195k
- Manager$230k
Bars are the middle half of published bands; the tick is the median.
Highest-paying employers
Datadogmedian of 4 published bands$335k
Waymomedian of 2 published bands$281k
Perplexitymedian of 6 published bands$270k
Fairemedian of 2 published bands$270k
Brazemedian of 4 published bands$258k
Fireworks AImedian of 2 published bands$258k
DoorDashmedian of 3 published bands$251k
Modalmedian of 2 published bands$250k
Hiring the most right now
By job title
| Title | Median | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Staff Applied Scientist | $258k | 5 |
| Member of Technical Staff - Research | $210k | 3 |
The best-paid openings in this segment
- Staff Research Scientist - Post-Training for AgentsDatadog · New York, New York, USA$320k to $400k
- Staff Research Scientist - Foundation & World ModelsDatadog · New York, New York, USA$320k to $400k
- Member of Technical Staff (AI Researcher)Perplexity · San Francisco$220k to $485k
- Member of Technical Staff, Applied Research ScientistRunwayML · Remote$260k to $370k
- Member of Technical Staff (Secure Intelligence Institute)Perplexity · San Francisco$220k to $405k
- Staff Applied Scientist - DashboardsDatadog · New York, New York, USA$276k to $345k
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Other salaries in the United States
Questions this data answers
What is the median salary for staff science and research roles in the United States?
$250k a year in base pay, across 49 live postings that publish a salary band. The middle half of those bands runs from $212k to $275k.
What do the best-paid staff science and research roles in the United States offer?
One in ten published bands has a midpoint above $311k, and one in ten sits below $192k.
How many staff science and research job posts publish a salary?
92% of the 53 live postings in this segment state a pay range. The figures here are drawn only from those.
Which companies pay the most for staff science and research roles in the United States?
Among employers with at least two published bands, the highest medians right now are at Datadog ($335k), Waymo ($281k), Perplexity ($270k).
Where does this data come from?
Base pay only, as employers publish it in their own job posts: the midpoint of each annual range, in the currency most postings use. Equity, bonus and commission are not in it. Updated daily.
Base pay only, as employers publish it in their own job posts: the midpoint of each annual range, in the currency most postings use. Equity, bonus and commission are not in it. Read off the live postings on Refolk's job board, where an employer is only counted while the posting is open. Updated daily.