How To Become A Post-Doctoral Scientist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a post-doctoral scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

A post-doctoral scientist conducts complex research studies to acquire knowledge and expertise in scientific methodologies and investigations. He/She gathers materials and components to support his/her scientific claims. He/She performs field investigations, interviews participants, and writes reports. Asides from that, he/she participates in cross-functional process development teams and collaborates with other functional groups. Additionally, he/she identifies areas of important needs and proffers solutions to address them. Moreover, he/she stays updated on relevant scientific literature, new technologies, and regulatory initiatives, among others.

To qualify for this position, candidates must hold a Ph.D. in a related discipline. They must have programming skills in R, SAS, or STATA. They must be conversant with appropriate statistical methods. Also, they must possess communication, attention to detail, research, and organization skills. Similarly, they must have a track record of peer-reviewed publications. Post-doctoral scientists make an average salary of $51,128 yearly or $24.58 per hour. It varies between $41,000 and $63,000.

What general advice would you give to a post-doctoral scientist?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScorePost-Doctoral ScientistUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,490

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 33.14%

Black or African American 6.41%

Hispanic or Latino 9.66%

Unknown 4.12%

White 46.52%

Gender

female 37.14%

male 62.86%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a post-doctoral scientist

Explore post-doctoral scientist education requirements

Most common post-doctoral scientist degrees

Doctorate

46.2 %

Bachelor's

40.5 %

Master's

12.4 %

Start to develop specific post-doctoral scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Research Projects	7.99%
Molecular Biology	7.54%
PI	6.08%
RNA	5.23%
Cell Biology	5.17%

Complete relevant post-doctoral scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New post-doctoral scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a post-doctoral scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real post-doctoral scientist resumes.

Research post-doctoral scientist duties and responsibilities

Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
Research on DNA sensors and DNA enzymes.
Investigate the contribution of DNA repair to prevention, causes, and cures of cancer.
Lead HIV studies in human model according to FDA vaccine trial guidelines in collaboration with NIH.

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