Research Scientist salary
Typical advertised pay for Research Scientist roles, from real job postings on FindRole.
Median advertised base salary
$216,250
Most postings fall between $192,000 and $277,050.
Based on 45 postings across 16 companies. Updated October 27, 2026.
As of October 2026, the median advertised base salary for Research Scientist roles is $216,250, based on 45 live job postings from 16 employers tracked by FindRole.
Published by FindRole · free to quote and reuse with attribution and a link to this page · how this is computed
Salary by seniority
| Level | 25th %ile | Median | 75th %ile | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $185,500 | $200,000 | $241,906 | 14 |
| Not specified | $191,500 | $215,450 | $216,250 | 21 |
Skills employers ask for
Share of Research Scientist postings that name each skill.
-
Machine Learning 60% · 27 of 45
-
Python 51% · 23 of 45
-
PyTorch 42% · 19 of 45
-
C++ 29% · 13 of 45
-
Deep Learning 27% · 12 of 45
-
Reinforcement Learning 27% · 12 of 45
-
Optimization 20% · 9 of 45
-
TensorFlow 20% · 9 of 45
-
Computer Vision 18% · 8 of 45
-
Generative AI 18% · 8 of 45
-
LLMs 18% · 8 of 45
-
Agile 16% · 7 of 45
Counted once per posting across 45 Research Scientist postings with an extracted skill list, as of October 2026. Spellings are folded to one name (K8s → Kubernetes) — see methodology.
Related roles
Titles whose postings ask for many of the same skills.
- Applied Scientist shares Machine Learning, Python, PyTorch median $208,800
- Machine Learning Engineer shares Machine Learning, Python, PyTorch median $235,750
- Solutions Architect shares Machine Learning, Python, PyTorch median $196,750
- Data Scientist shares Machine Learning, Python, PyTorch median $173,200
Top companies hiring Research Scientists
- Nvidia 11 postings · median $216,250
- Anduril Industries 7 postings · median $192,000
- Bosch 6 postings · median $180,000
- Apple Inc 3 postings · median $289,850
- Netflix 2 postings · median $720,500
- Snap Inc. 2 postings · median $251,000
- Datadog 2 postings · median $360,000
- General Motors (GM) 2 postings · median $277,050
Open Research Scientist roles right now
The postings these numbers come from — see all Research Scientist jobs.
- Principal Research Scientist Apple Inc · Seattle, WA View →
- Principal Research Scientist Apple Inc · Cupertino, CA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, AI for Cybersecurity Nvidia · Westford, MA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, AI-Enabled Secure Systems Nvidia · Westford, MA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, AI Security Nvidia · Remote (Seattle, WA) View →
- Research Scientist 5, Ad Marketplace Netflix · Remote View →
See which Research Scientist roles you actually match
FindRole AI Match reads your resume against every open Research Scientist posting and ranks the ones worth your time — so you're applying where the pay and the fit both line up.
See AI Match plansPrepping for Research Scientist roles?
Create a free FindRole account to save jobs, track applications, and get a weekly email of new Research Scientist postings.
Create a free accountThese figures are the midpoint of the advertised salary range on real Research Scientist job postings indexed by FindRole — employer-stated base pay, not total compensation (they exclude equity and bonuses), and they reflect the roles we index rather than the whole market. A guide, not a guarantee.