Postdoc research associate vs senior research fellow

The differences between postdoc research associates and senior research fellows 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 research associate and a senior research fellow. Additionally, a senior research fellow has an average salary of $62,129, which is higher than the $56,259 average annual salary of a postdoc research associate.

The top three skills for a postdoc research associate include data analysis, mouse model and research projects. The most important skills for a senior research fellow are python, research projects, and data analysis.

Postdoc research associate vs senior research fellow overview

	Postdoc Research Associate	Senior Research Fellow
Yearly salary	$56,259	$62,129
Hourly rate	$27.05	$29.87
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	49,460	53,535
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a postdoc research associate do?

Postdoc research associates are professionals who are responsible for assisting postdoctoral researchers in their research after completing doctoral studies. These associates must train and mentor undergraduate and graduate students with their ongoing research projects so that they can be completed on time. They are required to perform data analysis and should prepare scientific and technical reports that will be presented at scientific conferences. Postdoc research associates must also conduct literature reviews on topics such as government policy, economic impact analyses, and scientific journal articles.

What does a senior research fellow do?

Senior Research Fellows are reputable researchers employed in an academic institution or a research facility. The nature of their employment in the institution is related to their research work or field of interest. Senior Research Fellows lead a team of researchers on big projects that require more team members. They manage the team's budget, set timelines, and guide the researchers. They spearhead the analysis of the data gathered. They also set the tone for the presentation materials. Senior Research Fellows should be passionate about their field, should have a thirst for knowledge, and should be able to lead teams.

Postdoc research associate vs senior research fellow salary

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

	Postdoc Research Associate	Senior Research Fellow
Average salary	$56,259	$62,129
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $78,000	Between $40,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	IBM	Google
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between postdoc research associate and senior research fellow education

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

	Postdoc Research Associate	Senior Research Fellow
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Postdoc research associate vs senior research fellow demographics

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

	Postdoc Research Associate	Senior Research Fellow
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 45.4% White, 38.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between postdoc research associate and senior research fellow duties and responsibilities

Postdoc research associate example responsibilities.

Achieve a best solar-matching spectrum and a broadband visible-to-IR absorption profile.
Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Research focuse on understanding how transcription factors and non-coding regulatory DNA interpret Endothelin signaling in vivo.
Programe in Fortran to simulate models, diagnose problems and examine results.
Investigate how ATM kinase regulates tumor suppressive function of B56? -PP2A in response to DNA damage.
Complete a project of conditional knock out mouse model, draft one manuscript on transcription factor function on brain developmental defect.

Senior research fellow example responsibilities.

Lead a project aim at improving DNA yields from various soil types in Dr. Connell's lab.
Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
Mentore a graduate student on the following topics: study design, literature reviews, drafting data plans and SAS.
Contribute to the creation of new markup standards for scholarship in the humanities.
Research unidentify payments and patients.
Conduct long-term observations of grind water dynamics and chemistry.

Postdoc research associate vs senior research fellow skills

Common postdoc research associate skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Mouse Model, 8%
Research Projects, 8%
Python, 7%
Chemistry, 7%
Cell Culture, 6%

Common senior research fellow skills

Python, 12%
Research Projects, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
C++, 6%
Research Findings, 5%
Data Collection, 4%

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Postdoc Research Associate
Postdoc Research Associate vs Senior Research Fellow

Updated January 8, 2025

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