AI/ML Research Scientist to Data Scientist

Summary: 1 of the 6 core skills listed for Data Scientist carry over directly from AI/ML Research Scientist, and 1 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by -22% ($180K → $140K). Difficulty: Challenging, typically around 9 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

AI/ML Research Scientist: Conduct research to advance artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Data Scientist: Extract insights from data using statistical analysis and machine learning. Growth outlook +35%; AI-resistant. Typical education: master. Typical experience: 2-4 years typical entry.

Skills that carry over

• Python

Builds on related experience

• Machine Learning — builds on Deep Learning

Skills to learn for Data Scientist

• Statistics
• SQL
• Data Visualization
• Communication

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

AI/ML Research Scientist career guide | Data Scientist career guide

Other transitions to consider

• AI/ML Research Scientist to ML/AI Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over
• AI/ML Research Scientist to Quantitative Analyst (Quant) — 4 of the core skills carry over
• AI/ML Research Scientist to Computer Vision Engineer — 6 of the core skills carry over
• AI/ML Research Scientist to Research Scientist — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Data Analyst to Data Scientist — 5 of the core skills carry over
• Data Engineer to Data Scientist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• ML/AI Engineer to Data Scientist — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Business Analyst to Data Scientist — 4 of the core skills carry over