My lab (US Gov.) is the same, except there are is also no title change for the top level. I&#x27;ve been a &#x27;Research Structural Engineer&#x27; for two years, and work with people who have been a &#x27;Research Structural Engineer&#x27; for 40 years. They get paid a bit more, and have generally put in some time with a &#x27;Group Leader&#x27; title, but they don&#x27;t get saluted in the halls.<p>The consensus is that this promotes a more egalitarian culture, and prevents people from being locked in to roles they don&#x27;t prefer. Senior staff are free to spend a few years managing a large project or in a leadership role, then back off to get back into the research.