Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research associates and postdoctoral research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a research associate, becoming a postdoctoral research associate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research associate has an average salary of $60,166, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.
The top three skills for a research associate include patients, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.
| Research Associate | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $60,166 | $52,785 |
| Hourly rate | $28.93 | $25.38 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 63,884 | 59,377 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A research associate is responsible for assisting the research team, organizing and interpreting findings, and verifying information before presenting the study to the board. Research associates duties also include gathering and comparing data from multiple sources, analyzing the current industry trends, creating draft outlines for reports, collecting individual contacts for interview purposes, and helping with the development of research procedures. A research associate must have excellent time-management skills and ability to multi-task, especially on meeting strict deadlines and conducting studies.
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.
Research associates and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Associate | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average salary | $60,166 | $52,785 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $87,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | Memphis, TN |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Argonne National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a research associate and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:
| Research Associate | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research associates' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:
| Research Associate | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |