How to hire a postdoctoral scholar

How to hire a postdoctoral scholar, step by step

Here's a step-by-step postdoctoral scholar hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a postdoctoral scholar job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new postdoctoral scholar
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a postdoctoral scholar do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The postdoctoral scholar hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A postdoctoral scholar's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, postdoctoral scholars from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of postdoctoral scholar salaries for various roles:

   Type of Postdoctoral Scholar	Description	Hourly rate
   Postdoctoral Scholar	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$19-37
   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... Show more	$25-51
   Research And Development Chemist	A research and development chemist primarily works at laboratories to conduct extensive tests and experiments aiming to develop new products and technologies. Although the extent of their duties may vary, it typically revolves around conducting research and studies, observing chemical reactions, maintaining records and databases, collaborating with fellow experts, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing components or mixtures... Show more	$25-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Chemistry
   • Python
   • Patients
   • Data Analysis
   • NIH
   • C++
   • Mathematics
   • Research Projects
   • Cell Culture
   • Data Collection
   • Independent Research
   • CRISPR
   • Synthesis
   • RNA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead community-based health projects on and off campus as an Oslerian student scholar.
   • Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
   • Utilize basic organic and inorganic chemistry techniques including polymer synthesis and NMR spectroscopy.
   • Train graduate students on molecular biology techniques- DNA and RNA extraction and qPCR.
   • Contribute to successful NIH grant proposals.
   • Develop HPLC analysis method for skin folate.

   More postdoctoral scholar duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your postdoctoral scholar job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A postdoctoral scholar salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a postdoctoral scholar in Mississippi may be lower than in California, and an entry-level postdoctoral scholar usually earns less than a senior-level postdoctoral scholar. Additionally, a postdoctoral scholar with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average postdoctoral scholar salary

   $57,587yearly

   $27.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level postdoctoral scholar salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average postdoctoral scholar salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$71,444	$34
   2	Arizona	$63,706	$31
   3	Tennessee	$61,010	$29
   4	New York	$58,892	$28
   5	Nevada	$58,571	$28
   6	Massachusetts	$57,885	$28
   7	Colorado	$57,661	$28
   8	Washington	$53,892	$26
   9	Illinois	$53,664	$26
   10	Oregon	$53,559	$26
   11	Pennsylvania	$50,750	$24
   12	New Mexico	$48,527	$23
   13	North Carolina	$48,147	$23
   14	Ohio	$46,235	$22
   15	Florida	$46,171	$22
   16	Virginia	$46,160	$22
   17	Alabama	$42,692	$21
   18	Iowa	$42,592	$20
   19	South Carolina	$37,787	$18

   Average postdoctoral scholar salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$121,424	$58.38	187
   2	Google	$117,592	$56.53	157
   3	Western Digital	$91,911	$44.19	4
   4	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$91,462	$43.97
   5	Amd	$83,723	$40.25
   6	Argonne National Laboratory	$74,290	$35.72	99
   7	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	$73,813	$35.49	17
   8	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	$73,513	$35.34	33
   9	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$73,500	$35.34	56
   10	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	$72,973	$35.08	6
   11	Sandia National Labs	$72,612	$34.91	12
   12	Bayer	$71,232	$34.25	101
   13	Novartis	$70,047	$33.68	4
   14	SETI Institute	$69,232	$33.28
   15	Sephora	$68,519	$32.94
   16	American Chemical Society	$66,824	$32.13	2
   17	Stanford University	$66,334	$31.89	29
   18	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	$65,668	$31.57
   19	WakeMed	$64,841	$31.17
   20	Arizona State University	$63,283	$30.42	7

4. Writing a postdoctoral scholar job description

   A postdoctoral scholar job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a postdoctoral scholar job description:

   Postdoctoral scholar job description example

   Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is pleased to announce an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow with a focus on the intersections of violence and HIV among Black women.
   
   This research aims to significantly reduce the effects of violence experiences on Black women's health through community engagement, scientific investigation, education, and policy initiatives. The School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins University provide a rich interdisciplinary environment with a wide variety of clinical and community partnerships, and offer an abundance of seminars, invited lectures, and opportunities for collaboration with faculty across disciplines and departments.
   
   Under the direction of Kamila A. Alexander, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN and other expert faculty, the postdoctoral fellow will have ample opportunities to develop, implement, and evaluate theory-driven strategies to reduce violence and HIV-related health inequities. The postdoctoral fellow will participate in the conduct of two research studies aimed at promoting health equity among Black women. The Women Integrating Growing and Navigating Spaces (WINGS) research study, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is a mixed-methods investigation designed to measure activity-spaces among Black sexual minority women ages 16 - 24. Second, the NIH-funded 1MoreStep study is a randomized controlled trial focused on developing and testing an intervention to increase HIV care engagement and safety strategies among Black women living with HIV and experiencing intimate partner violence. The post-doctoral fellow will have the opportunity to advance health equity by collaborating and leading unique aspects of this research to improve the health of Black women and their families.
   
   The primary responsibility of the postdoctoral fellow will be to collaborate with the research team to carry out an array of activities, including research, scholarship, and conference presentations. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also learn leadership through research protocols, data management and analysis; preparation of manuscripts, grant proposals, and conference presentations; and leadership of interdisciplinary research groups.
   
   Postdoctoral fellows will have access to exceptional resources to facilitate the conduct of their own research including multiple opportunities to publish and assistance with grant-writing or project planning for the next stage of their research careers. The Postdoctoral Fellow will receive individualized mentoring and training to develop the skills and competencies needed to become successful independent investigators, advance the health of diverse populations, and to design, implement, and evaluate innovative community-based trials.
   
   The appointment will be for one year with a start date of July 1, 2022. Decisions regarding Fellowship extensions will be based on scholarly productivity, mid-year and year-end progress reports. The position provides salary and benefits consistent with NIH postdoctoral fellows (FY 2021 posted base salary is $53,760).
   
   Eligibility: A PhD in nursing, public health, psychology, behavioral sciences or health related field is required. All applicants must have experience or interest in sexual health, HIV, and/or violence research, clinical trials, and health equity research. A strong applicant will be tremendously driven, independent, and an effective communicator. Fellowship is open to eligible US citizens and international applicants.
   Job Type: Full Time Johns Hopkins University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Consistent with the University's goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will assess the comprehensive qualifications of each applicant.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find postdoctoral scholars for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your postdoctoral scholar job on Zippia to find and recruit postdoctoral scholar candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit postdoctoral scholars, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new postdoctoral scholar

   Once you've selected the best postdoctoral scholar candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new postdoctoral scholar. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a postdoctoral scholar?