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Postdoc fellow vs senior scientist

The differences between postdoc fellows and senior scientists 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 senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $58,376 average annual salary of a postdoc fellow.

The top three skills for a postdoc fellow include molecular biology, data analysis and CRISPR. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Postdoc fellow vs senior scientist overview

Postdoc FellowSenior Scientist
Yearly salary$58,376$106,672
Hourly rate$28.07$51.28
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs8,49949,712
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

Postdoc fellow vs senior scientist salary

Postdoc fellows and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Postdoc FellowSenior Scientist
Average salary$58,376$106,672
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $80,000Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CityBurlingame, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyTRI-ADBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industryProfessionalTelecommunication

Differences between postdoc fellow and senior scientist education

There are a few differences between a postdoc fellow and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:

Postdoc FellowSenior Scientist
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Postdoc fellow vs senior scientist demographics

Here are the differences between postdoc fellows' and senior scientists' demographics:

Postdoc FellowSenior Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 71.1% Female, 28.9%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between postdoc fellow and senior scientist 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.

Senior scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development and implementation of new technology for use in NMR applications.
  • Strategize and manage the PK/PD program with internal collaborations including chemistry, DMPK, formulation and toxicology.
  • Lead a team and develop a 24-channel GC parallel separation system for high throughput screening of catalysts.
  • Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
  • Influence and impact others through building and maintaining strong networks that are leverage to obtain critical information and accomplish objectives.
  • Manage collaborations with external CROs.
  • Show more

Postdoc fellow vs senior scientist skills

Common postdoc fellow skills
  • Molecular Biology, 15%
  • Data Analysis, 10%
  • CRISPR, 9%
  • Python, 9%
  • Chemistry, 8%
  • Conduct Research, 7%
Common senior scientist skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 3%
  • Research Projects, 3%
  • C++, 3%
  • Java, 3%

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