Postdoctoral research scientist vs medical science liaison

The differences between postdoctoral research scientists and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a postdoctoral research scientist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $53,781 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research scientist.

The top three skills for a postdoctoral research scientist include python, C++ and research projects. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Postdoctoral research scientist vs medical science liaison overview

	Postdoctoral Research Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$53,781	$145,718
Hourly rate	$25.86	$70.06
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	90,782	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a postdoctoral research scientist do?

A Postdoctoral Research Scientist undertakes and analyzes information about investigations, experiments, and trials from a controlled laboratory. They work in almost every area of science.

What does a medical science liaison do?

A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.

Postdoctoral research scientist vs medical science liaison salary

Postdoctoral research scientists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Postdoctoral Research Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$53,781	$145,718
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $72,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	Menlo Park, CA	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Tennessee
Best paying company	Meta	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between postdoctoral research scientist and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between a postdoctoral research scientist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Postdoctoral Research Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

Postdoctoral research scientist vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between postdoctoral research scientists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Postdoctoral Research Scientist	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 35.6% White, 45.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between postdoctoral research scientist and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Postdoctoral research scientist example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Perform mouse genotyping by purifying mouse DNA and amplifying it using PCR.
Establish stable human and rodent cell lines deficient in DNA DSB repair function.
Identify a novel role for a leukemia tumor suppressor in DNA repair pathways.
Involve in projects for identification and validation of biomarkers for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Contribute to projects at the interface of organic chemistry with biological and materials sciences.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Postdoctoral research scientist vs medical science liaison skills

Common postdoctoral research scientist skills

Python, 18%
C++, 13%
Research Projects, 6%
CRISPR, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

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Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Postdoctoral Research Scientist vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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