Principal scientist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between principal scientists and postdoctoral research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principal scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a principal scientist has an average salary of $119,982, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a principal scientist include oncology, data analysis and drug discovery. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Principal scientist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Principal Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$119,982	$52,785
Hourly rate	$57.68	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	80,899	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a principal scientist do?

A Principal Scientist is focused on leading scientific teams and conducting research. They ensure that their teams have the resources to properly perform research tasks.

What does a postdoctoral research associate do?

A postdoctoral research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.

Principal scientist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Principal scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$119,982	$52,785
Salary range	Between $84,000 And $169,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	PayPal	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between principal scientist and postdoctoral research associate education

There are a few differences between a principal scientist and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:

	Principal Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Principal scientist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between principal scientists' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Principal Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 38.1% White, 43.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between principal scientist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Principal scientist example responsibilities.

Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Provide development of and line support for assign immunoassay reagents, calibrators and controls.
Transfer controls to manufacturing for product launch and include all require studies, testing and documentation under GMP guidelines.
Maintain several lab documents for ISO certification.
Understand drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and design stable molecules.
Image visualization and manipulation of background plates for animation and post-processing.

Postdoctoral research associate example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Transfect 293-T cells with CRISPR constructs.
Execute parallel synthesis on both solution and solid phase to develop library of compounds.
Diagnose and resolve all instruments during breakdown (GC/MS/MS, GC/ECD, UV-Vis).
Develop python codes to efficiently handle multiple read/unread, flag/unflag, and delete operations on emails.
Characterize particles using DLS and UV-vis spectrophotometer to measure particle sizes and detect oxide layer, respectively.

Principal scientist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common principal scientist skills

Oncology, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Drug Discovery, 5%
GMP, 3%
Experimental Design, 3%
Clinical Trials, 3%

Common postdoctoral research associate skills

Python, 6%
Research Projects, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
Post-Doctoral, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

Principal Scientist vs. similar jobs

Principal Scientist related careers

Principal Scientist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Principal Scientist
Principal Scientist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs