Post-doctoral scientist vs medical science liaison

The differences between post-doctoral scientists and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a post-doctoral scientist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $58,490 average annual salary of a post-doctoral scientist.

The top three skills for a post-doctoral scientist include research projects, molecular biology and PI. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Post-doctoral scientist vs medical science liaison overview

	Post-Doctoral Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$58,490	$145,718
Hourly rate	$28.12	$70.06
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	57,376	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a post-doctoral scientist do?

A post-doctoral scientist is responsible for conducting more complex research studies to gain knowledge and expertise on scientific methodologies and investigations. Post-doctoral scientists collect materials and components for the examination that would support their scientific claims. They perform field investigations, interview participants, and write accurate reports for reference. A post-doctoral scientist must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, as well as an interest in discoveries and science nature that would play a vital role in the research development.

What does a medical science liaison do?

A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.

Post-doctoral scientist vs medical science liaison salary

Post-doctoral scientists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Post-Doctoral Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$58,490	$145,718
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $78,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Tennessee
Best paying company	Amazon	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between post-doctoral scientist and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between a post-doctoral scientist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Post-Doctoral Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

Post-doctoral scientist vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between post-doctoral scientists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Post-Doctoral Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 62.9% Female, 37.1%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 33.1% White, 46.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between post-doctoral scientist and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Post-doctoral scientist example 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.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Post-doctoral scientist vs medical science liaison skills

Common post-doctoral scientist skills

Research Projects, 8%
Molecular Biology, 8%
PI, 6%
RNA, 5%
Cell Biology, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

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Post-Doctoral Scientist
Post-Doctoral Scientist vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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