They should probably pay them the going wage for software engineers too. I used to work in science, the salary's are often half of what entry level swe position

They should probably pay them the going wage for software engineers too. I used to work in science, the salary's are often half of what entry level swe positions are, and require an PhDs/post docs... People wonder why r&d in the us is in a slump... Well it's mostly because choosing a natural science for a profession is punishment compared to software.