Postdoc Research Associate Overview
Working as a Postdoc Research Associate
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a postdoc research associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.34 an hour? That's $52,697 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 10,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Postdoc Research Associate Do
There are certain skills that many postdoc research associates have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed observation skills, critical-thinking skills and communication skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a postdoc research associate, we found that a lot of resumes listed 22.3% of postdoc research associates included phd, while 6.9% of resumes included mouse model, and 6.7% of resumes included cell culture. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the postdoc research associate job title. But what industry to start with? Most postdoc research associates actually find jobs in the education and health care industries.
How To Become a Postdoc Research Associate
If you're interested in becoming a postdoc research associate, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 3.4% of postdoc research associates have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.3% of postdoc research associates have master's degrees. Even though most postdoc research associates have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a postdoc research associate. In fact, many postdoc research associate jobs require experience in a role such as research assistant. Meanwhile, many postdoc research associates also have previous career experience in roles such as teaching assistant or graduate research assistant.
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Postdoc Research Associate Jobs
Postdoc Research Associate Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a postdoc research associate can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as research scientist, progress to a title such as senior scientist and then eventually end up with the title principal scientist.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Postdoc Research Associate
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
University of Colorado Boulder Postdoc Associate Postdoc Associate | University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder | 11/18/2020 11/18/2020 | $53,00011/18/2020 $53,000 |
University of Colorado Postdoc Associate Postdoc Associate | University of Colorado University of Colorado | 11/17/2020 11/17/2020 | $53,00011/17/2020 $53,000 |
Research Foundation Cuny Summer Research Postdoc Summer Research Postdoc | Research Foundation Cuny Research Foundation Cuny | 07/19/2020 07/19/2020 | $104,35007/19/2020 $104,350 |
UNC Department of Public Safety Postdoc Research Associate Postdoc Research Associate | UNC Department of Public Safety UNC Department of Public Safety | 01/17/2020 01/17/2020 | $50,00401/17/2020 $50,004 |
Texas A&M University Postdoc Research Associate Postdoc Research Associate | Texas A&M University Texas A&M University | 01/09/2020 01/09/2020 | $50,00001/09/2020 $50,000 |
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Top Colleges for Postdoc Research Associates
1. Duke University
Durham, NC
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
4. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
10. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA
Entry Level Jobs For Becoming A Postdoc Research Associate
Top Skills For a Postdoc Research Associate
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 22.3% of postdoc research associates listed phd on their resume, but soft skills such as observation skills and critical-thinking skills are important as well.
- PHD, 24.0%
- Data Analysis, 6.4%
- R, 6.2%
- Cell Culture, 5.8%
- Mouse Model, 5.5%
- Other Skills, 52.1% See All Postdoc Research Associate Skills
Best States For a Postdoc Research Associate
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a postdoc research associate. The best states for people in this position are Delaware, Connecticut, Alaska, and Pennsylvania. Postdoc research associates make the most in Delaware with an average salary of $86,726. Whereas in Connecticut and Alaska, they would average $83,234 and $82,049, respectively. While postdoc research associates would only make an average of $80,601 in Pennsylvania, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$82,050
Avg. Salary
2. Delaware
$86,727
Avg. Salary
3. New Jersey
$77,572
Avg. Salary