Research biochemist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research biochemists 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 biochemist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a research biochemist has an average salary of $76,649, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research biochemist include assay development, protein analysis and R. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research biochemist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Biochemist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$76,649	$52,785
Hourly rate	$36.85	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	49,891	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Research biochemist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Research Biochemist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$76,649	$52,785
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $110,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Abbott	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Professional

Differences between research biochemist and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Research Biochemist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Research biochemist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Research Biochemist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.1% 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 research biochemist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research biochemist example responsibilities.

Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Develop, validate and implement biochemical, enzyme, ELISA and cell-base assays as primary and secondary screening assays.
Investigate DNA / protein homologies between species using DNA analysis software.
Schedule GMP activity and coordinate testing and cleaning of the area.
Develop and design new cleaning procedures and execute them for GMP equipment.
Coordinate IQ/OQ/PQ testing for new equipment and maintenance of PQ testing as per FDA guidelines.

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 biochemist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research biochemist skills

Assay Development, 16%
Protein Analysis, 12%
R, 5%
Research Projects, 5%
HPLC, 5%
Data Analysis, 3%

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 Biochemist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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