Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between postdoctoral scholars and research 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 postdoctoral scholar and a research scientist. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, 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 research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Postdoctoral Scholar | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,587 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $27.69 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 18,983 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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.
Postdoctoral scholars and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Postdoctoral Scholar | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $57,587 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a postdoctoral scholar and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Postdoctoral Scholar | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between postdoctoral scholars' and research scientists' demographics:
| Postdoctoral Scholar | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |