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What does a postdoctoral associate do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith
What does a postdoctoral associate do

A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.

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Postdoctoral associate responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real postdoctoral associate resumes:

  • Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
  • Co-Authore NIH grant proposal on membrane protein folding.
  • Participate in writing research grant applications including NIH and NSF.
  • X-ray protein crystallographic studies on the structures of antibodies and DNA.
  • Purify DNA from subject blood samples and organize the genome screen.
  • Complete mice handling training and currently using CRISPR technology to knockout genes in cell lines.
  • Train broadly in the interface between chemistry and biology and interact with scientists from diverse backgrounds.
  • Discuss with patients and family members study protocols, and consent patients willing to participate in research.
  • Write python scripts to acquire online services pricing, such as air ticket fare and online-shopping prices.
  • Experience starting up a new immunology lab including senior management and training of graduate students and technicians.
  • Cloned, characterize and define human noncoding RNA specific targets using biochemical assays as well as RNA-seq.
  • Establish knockout zebrafish lines using CRISPR technology to study role of stxbp1b and rh1-2 genes in photoreceptor development.
  • Write python scripts to automatically generate and deliver materials information to materials database (over 235,000 materials, ~800Gb).
  • Design, synthesis, and binding constant determinations of alcohol-base anion receptors.
  • Identify all non-protein coding regulatory RNAs in Cryptococcus genome using strand specific RNA-seq analysis

Postdoctoral associate skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Postdoctoral Associates are proficient in Patients, TIP, and Data Analysis.

We break down the percentage of Postdoctoral Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 8%

    Evaluated hospitalized patients in all adult hospitals in the city of Louisville to define eligibility for participation in clinical trials.

  • TIP, 7%

    Direct tracking of amyloid and Tau dynamics in neuroblastoma cells using nanoplasmonic fiber tip probes.

  • Data Analysis, 6%

    Designed experiments for incoherent scatter radars, measured radar signal returns, performed signal processing and data analysis.

  • Biomedical, 5%

    Used these ligands in PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging for biomedical applications.

  • CRISPR, 5%

    Established knockout zebrafish lines using CRISPR technology to study role of stxbp1b and rh1-2 genes in photoreceptor development.

  • Python, 4%

    Discovered high efficient thermoelectric materials by data-mining the database, using Python scripts.

"patients," "tip," and "data analysis" are among the most common skills that postdoctoral associates use at work. You can find even more postdoctoral associate responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a postdoctoral associate to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Postdoctoral associates often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "trained and mentored 30+ lab members in lab techniques, conducting independent research, and communication of science. "

Observation skills. Another essential skill to perform postdoctoral associate duties is observation skills. Postdoctoral associates responsibilities require that "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." Postdoctoral associates also use observation skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "validated and compared ozone data sets obtained through sbuv and sage missions with ground-based observations made with dobson and brewer spectrometers. "

See the full list of postdoctoral associate skills

The three companies that hire the most postdoctoral associates are:

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Compare different postdoctoral associates

Postdoctoral associate vs. Research fellow

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

We looked at the average postdoctoral associate salary and compared it with the wages of a research fellow. Generally speaking, research fellows are paid $527 lower than postdoctoral associates per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between postdoctoral associates and research fellows are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like patients, data analysis, and crispr.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a postdoctoral associate are more likely to require skills like "tip," "biomedical," "mit," and "rna-seq." On the other hand, a job as a research fellow requires skills like "rna," "public health," "past work," and "animal models." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Research fellows earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $57,261. On the other hand, postdoctoral associates are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $53,445.On average, research fellows reach similar levels of education than postdoctoral associates. Research fellows are 4.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 15.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Postdoctoral associate vs. Research scientist

The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.

On average, research scientists earn a $35,648 higher salary than postdoctoral associates a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Postdoctoral associates and research scientists both require similar skills like "patients," "data analysis," and "crispr" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, postdoctoral associate responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "tip," "biomedical," "cell biology," and "independent research." Meanwhile, a research scientist has duties that require skills in areas such as "molecular biology," "tensorflow," "excellent interpersonal," and "laboratory equipment." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Research scientists tend to reach higher levels of education than postdoctoral associates. In fact, they're 5.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 15.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for postdoctoral associates in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

Honestly, I think anytime a scientist tries to predict what will be "big" in a few years, they're likely to fail. That said, I think there's a growing interest among consumers for more "green" products, so research into those areas will likely grow. For instance, we might see attempts to develop new plastics that are safer for the environment and humans, perhaps biodegradable. Organic chemistry traditionally uses harsh solvents and chemicals that are difficult to dispose of safely, so there is an effort to find alternatives to these. Analytical chemistry techniques for separating and identifying compounds, like GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), will likely continue to be necessary. CRISPR, the relatively new gene-editing technology, is likely to become even more widely used on the biochemistry side of things.

Postdoctoral associate vs. Research chemist

A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies. Their research findings can be used to create new medicines, enhance existing products, and lead to innovations. When it comes to employment, a research chemist may work for pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories, government agencies, and learning institutions.

On average scale, research chemists bring in higher salaries than postdoctoral associates. In fact, they earn a $21,493 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on postdoctoral associates and research chemists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "data analysis," "research projects," and "dna.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a postdoctoral associate is likely to be skilled in "patients," "tip," "biomedical," and "crispr," while a typical research chemist is skilled in "laboratory equipment," "method development," "analytical chemistry," and "polymer."

Research chemists earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $92,565. Comparatively, postdoctoral associates have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,445.research chemists typically earn similar educational levels compared to postdoctoral associates. Specifically, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 36.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Postdoctoral associate vs. Research and development scientist

A research and development scientist specializes in conducting scientific studies and experiments to develop new products and technologies. They usually work at laboratories where they are in charge of conducting research and assessments, coming up with new ideas, performing tests, streamlining product requirements and guidelines, collaborating with fellow experts, utilizing previous studies and advanced software, and maintaining records of all procedures. Additionally, as a research and development scientist, it is essential to conduct reviews and assessments to ensure products adhere to safety standards and regulations.

Research and development scientists tend to earn a higher pay than postdoctoral associates by an average of $35,928 per year.While their salaries may vary, postdoctoral associates and research and development scientists both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "patients," "data analysis," and "python. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A postdoctoral associate uses "tip," "biomedical," "crispr," and "cell biology." Research and development scientists are more likely to have duties that require skills in "technical support," "c #," "product development," and "analytical methods. "The health care industry tends to pay the highest salaries for research and development scientists, with average annual pay of $91,180. Comparatively, the highest postdoctoral associate annual salary comes from the education industry.The average resume of research and development scientists showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to postdoctoral associates. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 37.6%.

Types of postdoctoral associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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