Postdoc research associate vs staff scientist

The differences between postdoc research associates and staff 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 research associate and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, 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 staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Postdoc research associate vs staff scientist overview

	Postdoc Research Associate	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$56,259	$93,941
Hourly rate	$27.05	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	49,460	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
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 staff scientist do?

The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.

Postdoc research associate vs staff scientist salary

Postdoc research associates and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Postdoc Research Associate	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$56,259	$93,941
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $78,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	IBM	Etsy
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between postdoc research associate and staff scientist education

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

	Postdoc Research Associate	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Postdoc research associate vs staff scientist demographics

Here are the differences between postdoc research associates' and staff scientists' demographics:

	Postdoc Research Associate	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
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, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between postdoc research associate and staff scientist 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.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Postdoc research associate vs staff scientist skills

Common postdoc research associate skills

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

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

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Postdoc Research Associate
Postdoc Research Associate vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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