Postdoc fellow vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between postdoc fellows 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 postdoc fellow and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a postdoc fellow has an average salary of $58,376, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a postdoc fellow include molecular biology, data analysis and CRISPR. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Postdoc fellow vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Postdoc Fellow	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$58,376	$52,785
Hourly rate	$28.07	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	8,499	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Postdoc fellow vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Postdoc fellows and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Postdoc Fellow	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$58,376	$52,785
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $80,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Burlingame, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	TRI-AD	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between postdoc fellow and postdoctoral research associate education

There are a few differences between a postdoc fellow and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:

	Postdoc Fellow	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Postdoc fellow vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between postdoc fellows' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Postdoc Fellow	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 45.5% White, 39.0% 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%

Differences between postdoc fellow and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Postdoc fellow example responsibilities.

Collaborate with software engineers to automate identification of 15N- and 13C- labele LC-MS features.
Perform expression profiling on primary promyelocyte samples and identify candidate genes that may be involve in SCN pathogenesis and malignant transformation.
Investigate chromatid orientation through immunofluorescence.

Postdoctoral research associate example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Transfect 293-T cells with CRISPR constructs.
Execute parallel synthesis on both solution and solid phase to develop library of compounds.
Diagnose and resolve all instruments during breakdown (GC/MS/MS, GC/ECD, UV-Vis).
Develop python codes to efficiently handle multiple read/unread, flag/unflag, and delete operations on emails.
Characterize particles using DLS and UV-vis spectrophotometer to measure particle sizes and detect oxide layer, respectively.

Postdoc fellow vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common postdoc fellow skills

Molecular Biology, 15%
Data Analysis, 10%
CRISPR, 9%
Python, 9%
Chemistry, 8%
Conduct Research, 7%

Common postdoctoral research associate skills

Python, 6%
Research Projects, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
Post-Doctoral, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

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Postdoc Fellow
Postdoc Fellow vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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