How to hire a post-doctoral scientist

How to hire a post-doctoral scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step post-doctoral scientist hiring guide:

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

What does a post-doctoral scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The post-doctoral scientist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 post-doctoral scientist 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 post-doctoral scientist that fits the bill.

   This list presents post-doctoral scientist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Post-Doctoral Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Post-Doctoral Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$20-37
   Research Fellow	A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study... Show more	$18-34
   Quality Control Analyst	Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects... Show more	$19-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Research Projects
   • Molecular Biology
   • PI
   • RNA
   • Cell Biology
   • Cell Culture
   • CRISPR
   • Flow Cytometry
   • Data Analysis
   • Python
   • Research Findings
   • Animal Models
   • Scientific Journals
   • Elisa

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Provide computational support for an NIH program project that targets the gp120-CD4 interactions for small-molecule entry inhibitors.
   • Analyze RNA-seq in rat primary neurons to identify genome-wide molecular targets of RNA-binding proteins.

   More post-doctoral scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your post-doctoral scientist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A post-doctoral scientist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, post-doctoral scientists' average salary in louisiana is 53% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level post-doctoral scientists 45% less than senior-level post-doctoral scientists.
   • Certifications. A post-doctoral scientist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a post-doctoral scientist's salary.

   Average post-doctoral scientist salary

   $58,490yearly

   $28.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level post-doctoral scientist salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average post-doctoral scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$77,508	$37
   2	Hawaii	$72,055	$35
   3	California	$71,565	$34
   4	Connecticut	$69,536	$33
   5	Massachusetts	$68,894	$33
   6	Indiana	$67,917	$33
   7	Delaware	$67,151	$32
   8	Maryland	$60,140	$29
   9	Colorado	$59,611	$29
   10	Pennsylvania	$58,831	$28
   11	New York	$57,548	$28
   12	Minnesota	$57,288	$28
   13	Michigan	$56,126	$27
   14	District of Columbia	$52,657	$25
   15	Washington	$52,456	$25
   16	Virginia	$50,670	$24
   17	Illinois	$50,464	$24
   18	Ohio	$49,513	$24
   19	New Mexico	$47,808	$23
   20	Kansas	$47,553	$23

   Average post-doctoral scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$93,572	$44.99	700
   2	IBM	$82,490	$39.66	19
   3	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory	$73,961	$35.56	169
   4	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	$72,561	$34.89	1
   5	Gillette	$71,676	$34.46
   6	Bayer	$71,652	$34.45	55
   7	Regeneron	$71,609	$34.43	31
   8	Boehringer Ingelheim	$71,386	$34.32	22
   9	Eli Lilly and Company	$71,194	$34.23	81
   10	Zoetis	$70,931	$34.10	21
   11	Johnson & Johnson	$70,868	$34.07	86
   12	Sandia National Labs	$70,570	$33.93	17
   13	Biogen	$70,524	$33.91	2
   14	Gilead Sciences	$70,206	$33.75	85
   15	Pfizer	$67,962	$32.67	53
   16	Ethicon	$66,459	$31.95
   17	BASF	$66,060	$31.76	1
   18	Syngenta	$64,203	$30.87	2
   19	National Medical Association	$64,143	$30.84	1
   20	Miriam Hospital	$63,440	$30.50

4. Writing a post-doctoral scientist job description

   A good post-doctoral scientist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a post-doctoral scientist job description:

   Post-doctoral scientist job description example

   Department/Organization: 214221 - Chemical and Biological Eng

   Normal Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:45 pm

   Job Summary: Under the direction of a senior faculty member who serves as a mentor for the postdoctoral appointee, The Postdoctoral Fellow provides for an internship and continuation of scholarly activity and research after achieving the Ph.D. or other doctoral degree

   Additional Department Summary: The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at The University of Alabama is seeking candidates for four Postdoctoral positions. These positions are available to individuals with research experience working with polymers, drug delivery, biomaterials, nanomedicine, and pain management.
   
   Successful candidates will hold a terminal degree in Chemical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering or Chemistry or a related field and demonstrate a record of academic achievement in research. The College and/or the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department will establish a series of structured merit-based evaluations. Initial appointments are for one year, with renewal contingent upon demonstration of research productivity.
   
   This Post-Doc position will be expected to conduct research in the area of biomaterials and disease treatment under the supervision of Dr. Chao Zhao.

   Additional Required Department Minimum Qualifications: PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry or a related field.
   
   Candidates will need to have completed their Ph.D. or have it completed by the start of employment. Applicants should upload a cover letter, curriculum vitae and include at least two references in the reference section of the application. Please upload additional documents to the “other documents” tab as needed.

   Skills and Knowledge: Laboratory research experience with polymers, drug delivery, biomaterials and nanomedicine.

   Preferred Qualifications: Research experience relating to the organic chemistry, animal testing, and pain management.

   Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

   Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, genetic or family medical history information, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected basis, and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" Poster

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find post-doctoral scientists 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 post-doctoral scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit post-doctoral scientist 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 post-doctoral scientists, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 post-doctoral scientist

   Once you've selected the best post-doctoral scientist 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a post-doctoral scientist?