Research associate professor vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research associate professors 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 research associate professor and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a research associate professor has an average salary of $94,301, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research associate professor include public health, biomedical and research projects. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research associate professor vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Associate Professor	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$94,301	$52,785
Hourly rate	$45.34	$25.38
Growth rate	12%	17%
Number of jobs	57,738	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	46	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a research associate professor do?

The work of a research associate professor is conducting research, publishing papers, and attending conferences. The professor is also tasked with the job of attending academic events and networking with other researchers and field experts, as well as supervising, advising, and mentoring teaching assistants and graduate students.

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.

Research associate professor vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Research associate professors and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Associate Professor	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$94,301	$52,785
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $151,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Salt Lake City, UT	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	Utah	Hawaii
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Medical School	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between research associate professor and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Research Associate Professor	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Cornell University	Duke University

Research associate professor vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between research associate professors' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Research Associate Professor	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	46	41
Gender ratio	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.6% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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	16%	8%

Differences between research associate professor and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research associate professor example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Conduct NIH sponsor studies on HIV/AIDS in African-American and Hispanic populations in Alabama.
Train students in electron microscopy, laser safety, vacuum technology, chemistry, instrumentation, and other laboratory procedures.
Identify glucose-induced increases in the phosphorylation levels of interest proteins, including metabolic enzymes and transcription factors by analyzing phosphoproteomics data.

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.

Research associate professor vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research associate professor skills

Public Health, 15%
Biomedical, 12%
Research Projects, 11%
SAS, 6%
NIH, 6%
Data Collection, 6%

Common postdoctoral research associate skills

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

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Research Associate Professor
Research Associate Professor vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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