Research group director vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research group directors 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 group director and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a research group director has an average salary of $97,758, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research group director include research projects, R and market research. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research group director vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Group Director	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$97,758	$52,785
Hourly rate	$47.00	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	60,130	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Research group director vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Research Group Director	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$97,758	$52,785
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $160,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between research group director and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Research Group Director	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Research group director vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Research Group Director	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% 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 group director and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research group director example responsibilities.

Lead social path-to-purchase study, incorporating social media analytics into insight community to identify spectrum of social engagement among customers.
Develop a license plate recognition and tracking algorithm using MATLAB.
Design a moving JPEG hardware accelerator using MATLAB and Simulink.
Develop and modify Linux device drivers for use on main controller platform.
Present results, observations and future plans via PowerPoint to the research class
Research into novel method for production of gold nanoparticles with tailorable size and shape.

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 group director vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research group director skills

Research Projects, 48%
R, 18%
Market Research, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 6%
Clinical Trials, 5%
MATLAB, 5%

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 Group Director
Research Group Director vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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