Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
The named PI on an NIH R01 grant, accountable for all aspects of the funded work
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A postdoc working on a PI's grant is not themselves the PI even if they lead a sub-project
Editorial commentary
PI status is conferred by award documentation rather than by career stage — an ECR can be a PI on a fellowship — but in practice the role implies institutional eligibility (typically requiring a continuing position). Co-PIs share responsibility; the lead PI is the formal contact and accountable party for compliance.
References
- NIH Definition of Principal Investigator
- UKRI Eligibility for Principal Investigator Status
Also known as
PI · Lead investigator
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
xml
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Principal investigator (PI)"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/principal-investigator" />json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"name": "Principal investigator (PI)",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/principal-investigator",
"description": "The named individual on a research grant, contract, or protocol who is formally accountable for the scientific direction, ethical conduct, financial stewardship, and reporting of the research, typically holding a continuing academic or research-leader position at the host institution.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/mentorship-training-and-career-stages/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/principal-investigator",
"sameAs": [
"PI",
"Lead investigator"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
