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Chemist assistant vs postdoctoral scholar

The differences between chemist assistants and postdoctoral scholars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a postdoctoral scholar has an average salary of $57,587, which is higher than the $51,817 average annual salary of a chemist assistant.

The top three skills for a chemist assistant include laboratory instruments, product quality and chemical analysis. The most important skills for a postdoctoral scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.

Chemist assistant vs postdoctoral scholar overview

Chemist AssistantPostdoctoral Scholar
Yearly salary$51,817$57,587
Hourly rate$24.91$27.69
Growth rate6%17%
Number of jobs6,14418,983
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age4241
Years of experience-4

What does a chemist assistant do?

Chemist assistants maintain laboratory readiness in supporting the production and contingency operations for instrument maintenance and personnel training. The assistants manage daily laboratory operations such as conducting and recording instrument maintenance. They develop minimum product property tolerances and production standards. It is their job to monitor the quality of products to ensure standard compliance. Also, they support capacity expansion projects, product quality projects, and process improvement initiatives.

What does a postdoctoral scholar do?

A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.

Chemist assistant vs postdoctoral scholar salary

Chemist assistants and postdoctoral scholars have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chemist AssistantPostdoctoral Scholar
Average salary$51,817$57,587
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $87,000Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between chemist assistant and postdoctoral scholar education

There are a few differences between a chemist assistant and a postdoctoral scholar in terms of educational background:

Chemist AssistantPostdoctoral Scholar
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Chemist assistant vs postdoctoral scholar demographics

Here are the differences between chemist assistants' and postdoctoral scholars' demographics:

Chemist AssistantPostdoctoral Scholar
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 56.3% Female, 43.7%Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%8%

Differences between chemist assistant and postdoctoral scholar duties and responsibilities

Chemist assistant example responsibilities.

  • Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
  • Take initiative to be cross-train in chemistry methods used by the company to perform additional tests that ensure uninterrupt laboratory operation.
  • Conduct enzyme assays and performance testing with different enzymes in liquid and powder detergent formulations.

Postdoctoral scholar example responsibilities.

  • Lead community-based health projects on and off campus as an Oslerian student scholar.
  • Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
  • Utilize basic organic and inorganic chemistry techniques including polymer synthesis and NMR spectroscopy.
  • Train graduate students on molecular biology techniques- DNA and RNA extraction and qPCR.
  • Contribute to successful NIH grant proposals.
  • Develop HPLC analysis method for skin folate.
  • Show more

Chemist assistant vs postdoctoral scholar skills

Common chemist assistant skills
  • Laboratory Instruments, 27%
  • Product Quality, 13%
  • Chemical Analysis, 6%
  • HPLC, 5%
  • Analytical Instrumentation, 4%
  • Lab Equipment, 4%
Common postdoctoral scholar skills
  • Chemistry, 10%
  • Python, 8%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • NIH, 5%
  • C++, 5%

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