How to hire a doctoral fellow

How to hire a doctoral fellow, step by step

Here's a step-by-step doctoral fellow hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a doctoral fellow job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new doctoral fellow
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a doctoral fellow do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your doctoral fellow job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a doctoral fellow for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a doctoral fellow to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a doctoral fellow that fits the bill.

   This list presents doctoral fellow salaries for various positions.

   Type of Doctoral Fellow	Description	Hourly rate
   Doctoral Fellow	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$18-34
   Research Scientist	The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience... Show more	$27-65
   Staff Scientist	The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.	$30-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Cell Culture
   • Data Analysis
   • Research Projects
   • Cell Biology
   • Immunology
   • Veterans
   • CRISPR
   • NIH
   • Python
   • Chemistry
   • Flow Cytometry
   • PI
   • Physiology

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
   • Attend courses in drug discovery, python programming, and next-generation sequencing analyses.
   • Coordinate the validation of data aquisition algorithms (C++, python) for all real and simulate data.
   • Conduct custom synthesis of organic molecules, key intermediates and building blocks for medicinal chemistry applications.
   • Design PCL/PLCL drug delivery system for DC immunotherapy.
   • Succeed in using CRISPR to genetically correct diseas iPSCs.

   More doctoral fellow duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your doctoral fellow job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A doctoral fellow salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, doctoral fellows' average salary in south carolina is 49% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level doctoral fellows earn 46% less than senior-level doctoral fellows.
   • Certifications. A doctoral fellow with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a doctoral fellow's salary.

   Average doctoral fellow salary

   $53,366yearly

   $25.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level doctoral fellow salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average doctoral fellow salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,712	$33
   2	Tennessee	$64,080	$31
   3	Connecticut	$60,617	$29
   4	Massachusetts	$55,993	$27
   5	Indiana	$55,083	$26
   6	Maryland	$52,915	$25
   7	Oklahoma	$52,478	$25
   8	Illinois	$52,206	$25
   9	Oregon	$52,197	$25
   10	New York	$52,050	$25
   11	Pennsylvania	$51,948	$25
   12	Wisconsin	$51,606	$25
   13	Colorado	$51,213	$25
   14	Washington	$50,304	$24
   15	District of Columbia	$48,693	$23
   16	Ohio	$45,799	$22
   17	Virginia	$45,757	$22
   18	Kansas	$43,803	$21
   19	New Mexico	$43,696	$21
   20	Texas	$42,965	$21

   Average doctoral fellow salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	IBM	$80,270	$38.59
   2	Jefferson Lab	$75,586	$36.34	12
   3	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	$74,472	$35.80	25
   4	Los Alamos National Security LLC	$74,146	$35.65
   5	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	$72,579	$34.89
   6	Boehringer Ingelheim	$70,951	$34.11	6
   7	Novartis	$70,353	$33.82
   8	AbbVie	$70,286	$33.79	38
   9	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	$70,080	$33.69	6
   10	Amgen	$69,757	$33.54	20
   11	Biogen	$68,732	$33.04	2
   12	National Bureau of Economic Research	$68,499	$32.93
   13	Gilead Sciences	$68,189	$32.78	30
   14	Regeneron	$67,576	$32.49	3
   15	Genentech	$67,265	$32.34	48
   16	Halozyme	$66,804	$32.12
   17	Johnson & Johnson	$66,057	$31.76	10
   18	Pfizer	$65,328	$31.41	15
   19	University of Tennessee	$64,615	$31.06	29
   20	23andMe	$64,303	$30.91	1

4. Writing a doctoral fellow job description

   A job description for a doctoral fellow role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a doctoral fellow job description:

   Doctoral fellow job description example

   The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is a growing and successful nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate cures through stem cell research.
   
   NYSCF is seeking a recent PhD for a position as Postdoctoral Fellow within the Computational Biology team. You will be responsible for developing novel algorithms and custom analysis pipelines that leverage the extensive omics data sets on cell reprogramming and differentiation created at NYSCF. You have experience in machine learning and are ideally familiar with multiple omics modalities, such as (single-cell / spatial) transcriptomics, genomics, ATAC-seq etc. You are either knowledgeable about stem cell biology or eager to learn about it and keen on using your computational skills to contribute to the improvement of human health. You will report to the VP, Computational Biology. We are looking for a creative, independent scientist who can derive relevant biological insights from high-throughput molecular profiling data and collaborate efficiently with experimental colleagues at NYSCF as well as industry partners. This position allows for hybrid work onsite and remote, with at least two days per week onsite at NYSCF in Manhattan.
   
   What you'll do Develop innovative approaches to extract novel biological insights and infer predictive models (e.g., gene regulatory networks) from high-throughput data Collaborate closely with experimental colleagues on the biological interpretation of molecular profiling results, as well as their experimental validation Stay on top of the current scientific literature and generate project ideas using new deep / machine learning methods as well as novel concepts in stem cell or disease biology Work on a broad range of data analysis projects with groups at NYSCF and partner organizations, for example from the pharmaceutical industry Advise on experiment design and requirements for replication, quality control, reporting and meta data towards optimal reusability of the generated data Develop and implement novel data visualization strategies to summarize results and QC features Assist in structuring and managing our cloud-computing environment that runs batch jobs to process and analyze our sequencing data at scale, coordinating with software engineering team as needed Generate reports and data summaries to be presented both internally and to external collaborators Contribute to publications and conference presentations Support research teams in developing analysis pipelines, which might include script writing/coding and troubleshooting, and educate colleagues about relevant statistical or machine learning concepts
   
   What we're looking for Recent PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics or similar field Knowledge of or strong interest in stem cell research Knowledge of sequencing technologies such as (single-cell) RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, ATAC-SeqExperience with aligners such as Bowtie, Trinity, Salmon or KallistoExperience with tools for the statistical analysis of biological data (for example: DESeq2 for differential expression testing) Advanced programming skills in Python and/or RKnowledge of additional programming languages, such as Java or C++ is a plus Experience with database integration (using SQL) and maintenance, as well as interfacing with a LIMS are a plus Grasp of basic molecular biology and genetics wet-lab techniques is a plus Familiarity with cloud computing infrastructures on AWS and working with cloud-based tools such as AWS Batch, Data Pipeline, RDS/Redshift is a plus Experience with visualization tools such as Tableau, Matplotlib, ggplot2 or TIBCO Spotfire is a plus
   
   We offer all full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that goes into effect on the first of the month following your start date.
   
   In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment eligibility verification upon hire. The position is based at our location in Manhattan.
   
   NYSCF is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity in our company. It ensures equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
   Our Research Institute facility is a fully COVID-19 vaccinated workplace.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find doctoral fellows for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your doctoral fellow job on Zippia to find and recruit doctoral fellow candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit doctoral fellows, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new doctoral fellow

   Once you've selected the best doctoral fellow candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new doctoral fellow first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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