Contract scientist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between contract 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 a contract scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a contract scientist has an average salary of $98,484, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a contract scientist include technical reports, HPLC and chemistry. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Contract scientist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Contract Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$98,484	$52,785
Hourly rate	$47.35	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	51,771	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Contract scientist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Contract scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contract Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$98,484	$52,785
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $141,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between contract scientist and postdoctoral research associate education

There are a few differences between a contract scientist and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:

	Contract Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Contract scientist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between contract scientists' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Contract Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% 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%

Differences between contract scientist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Contract scientist example responsibilities.

Manage data of project samples through LIMS software.
Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Present chemistry of current and future targets at team meetings.
Coordinate internal blood draws to harvest serum and plasma for future testing.
Authenticate structure and purity of compounds by NMR, LCMS, HPLC, and CHN.
Complete a proprietary research project in photo-electric chemistry.

Postdoctoral research associate example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Transfect 293-T cells with CRISPR constructs.
Execute parallel synthesis on both solution and solid phase to develop library of compounds.
Diagnose and resolve all instruments during breakdown (GC/MS/MS, GC/ECD, UV-Vis).
Develop python codes to efficiently handle multiple read/unread, flag/unflag, and delete operations on emails.
Characterize particles using DLS and UV-vis spectrophotometer to measure particle sizes and detect oxide layer, respectively.

Contract scientist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common contract scientist skills

Technical Reports, 12%
HPLC, 8%
Chemistry, 8%
Data Analysis, 8%
Analytical Methods, 8%
Western Blotting, 6%

Common postdoctoral research associate skills

Python, 6%
Research Projects, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
Post-Doctoral, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

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Contract Scientist
Contract Scientist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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