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Postdoctoral scholar vs chemist

The differences between postdoctoral scholars and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chemist has an average salary of $64,961, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.

The top three skills for a postdoctoral scholar include chemistry, python and patients. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.

Postdoctoral scholar vs chemist overview

Postdoctoral ScholarChemist
Yearly salary$57,587$64,961
Hourly rate$27.69$31.23
Growth rate17%6%
Number of jobs18,98320,221
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age4142
Years of experience4-

What does a postdoctoral scholar do?

A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.

What does a chemist do?

Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.

Postdoctoral scholar vs chemist salary

Postdoctoral scholars and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Postdoctoral ScholarChemist
Average salary$57,587$64,961
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $79,000Between $46,000 And $90,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWilmington, DE
Highest paying stateCaliforniaDelaware
Best paying companyMicrosoftMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between postdoctoral scholar and chemist education

There are a few differences between a postdoctoral scholar and a chemist in terms of educational background:

Postdoctoral ScholarChemist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Postdoctoral scholar vs chemist demographics

Here are the differences between postdoctoral scholars' and chemists' demographics:

Postdoctoral ScholarChemist
Average age4142
Gender ratioMale, 53.0% Female, 47.0%Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%5%

Differences between postdoctoral scholar and chemist duties and responsibilities

Postdoctoral scholar example 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.
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Chemist example responsibilities.

  • Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
  • Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
  • Perform analysis of drug substance and drug product using HPLC, GC, dissolution and UV/VIS.
  • Utilize IR, AA, UV, HPLC and other chemical analysis equipment to assess product quality.
  • Prepare solutions to run on HPLC, ICP and AA instruments.
  • Involve in operation and preventative maintenance of LC/MS, GC/FID, and HPLC instrumentation.
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Postdoctoral scholar vs chemist skills

Common postdoctoral scholar skills
  • Chemistry, 10%
  • Python, 8%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • NIH, 5%
  • C++, 5%
Common chemist skills
  • Chemistry, 20%
  • Lab Equipment, 7%
  • Test Results, 7%
  • Product Development, 5%
  • Method Development, 5%
  • HPLC, 5%

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