Research physicist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research physicists and postdoctoral research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research physicist, becoming a postdoctoral research associate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research physicist has an average salary of $74,663, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research physicist include data analysis, laser and python. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research physicist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Physicist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$74,663	$52,785
Hourly rate	$35.90	$25.38
Growth rate	8%	17%
Number of jobs	46,060	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	48	41
Years of experience	6	4

What does a research physicist do?

A research physicist's job is to conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories based on observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Their duties and responsibilities include describing observations, developing simulations, and advising authorities on procedures to be followed.

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 physicist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Research Physicist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$74,663	$52,785
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $107,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Coram, NY	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Sandia National Labs	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between research physicist and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Research Physicist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Physics	Chemistry
Most common college	Harvard University	Duke University

Research physicist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Research Physicist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	48	41
Gender ratio	Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	24%	8%

Differences between research physicist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research physicist example responsibilities.

Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
Design and oversee construction of flow loop for development of multi-phase NMR flowmeter.
Develop and conduct technologists' training on MR QC, QA and safety programs.
Commission of ArcCheck (SunNuclear) for patient-specific QA of IMRT, RapidArc, and SBRT as medical physics resident.
Perform all aspects of LDR brachytherapy procedures using VariSeed 8.0 under the supervision of the physician and three ABR certify physicists
Commission TrueBeam Linac system as medical physics resident.

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 physicist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research physicist skills

Data Analysis, 20%
Laser, 15%
Python, 10%
Data Collection, 8%
Technical Reports, 7%
RF, 7%

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 Physicist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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