Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between development 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 development scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a development scientist has an average salary of $92,514, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.
The top three skills for a development scientist include chemistry, data analysis and GMP. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.
| Development Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $92,514 | $52,785 |
| Hourly rate | $44.48 | $25.38 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 92,039 | 59,377 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Companies with a manufacturing arm usually employ Development Scientists. They are responsible for studying the company's processes and products and conducting research on improving these. They work on new strategies to make production and manufacturing more efficient. They also conduct feasibility studies to ensure that the strategies they come up with are effective and analyze the results of such studies. They then present these findings to their colleagues and develop implementation strategies for smoother streamlining of new processes.
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.
Development scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average salary | $92,514 | $52,785 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $124,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Memphis, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Argonne National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a development scientist and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:
| Development Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between development scientists' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:
| Development Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% 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, 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% |