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The differences between analytical scientists and postdoctoral associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an analytical scientist and a postdoctoral associate. Additionally, an analytical scientist has an average salary of $90,807, which is higher than the $54,350 average annual salary of a postdoctoral associate.
The top three skills for an analytical scientist include HPLC, GMP and analytical chemistry. The most important skills for a postdoctoral associate are patients, TIP, and data analysis.
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $90,807 | $54,350 |
| Hourly rate | $43.66 | $26.13 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 52,832 | 18,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The duties of an analytical scientist depend on their place or industry of employment. An analytical scientist specializes in conducting tests and experiments using different analytical techniques to identify or develop chemical compositions. Their tasks typically revolve around maintaining extensive documentation of all procedures, reviewing and interpreting results, and summarizing them for reports and other documentation. Moreover, an analytical scientist may coordinate with other scientists on projects, prepare presentations for different audiences, and even train junior scientists.
A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.
Analytical scientists and postdoctoral associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Associate | |
| Average salary | $90,807 | $54,350 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $39,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maine |
| Best paying company | Argonne National Laboratory | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Education |
There are a few differences between an analytical scientist and a postdoctoral associate in terms of educational background:
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between analytical scientists' and postdoctoral associates' demographics:
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 39.4% White, 42.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |