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The differences between analytical scientists and postdoctoral research 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 research associate. Additionally, an analytical scientist has an average salary of $90,807, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.
The top three skills for an analytical scientist include HPLC, GMP and analytical chemistry. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $90,807 | $52,785 |
| Hourly rate | $43.66 | $25.38 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 52,832 | 59,377 |
| 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 research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.
Analytical scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average salary | $90,807 | $52,785 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Memphis, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Argonne National Laboratory | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Professional |
There are a few differences between an analytical scientist and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Research 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 research associates' demographics:
| Analytical Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% |
| 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, 5.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 38.1% White, 43.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |