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The differences between chief scientists and postdoctoral scholars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief scientist and a postdoctoral scholar. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a postdoctoral scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.
| Chief Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $57,587 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $27.69 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 18,983 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Chief scientists supervise, plan, and budget the funds for research activities to publish their discoveries with influential publication companies. By doing commentaries with the press and media, they spread their knowledge about science to the public. They are mentors or coaches to non-professional scientists and help them build a case to get their promotion. For their subordinates to feel motivated to reach their goals when working on research projects, chief scientists must maintain a professional, creative, but engaging environment.
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.
Chief scientists and postdoctoral scholars have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $57,587 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $41,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a postdoctoral scholar in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Physics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and postdoctoral scholars' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 Percentage | 8% | 8% |