Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research scientists 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 scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.
The top three skills for a research scientist include python, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.
| Research Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $89,998 | $52,785 |
| Hourly rate | $43.27 | $25.38 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 93,013 | 59,377 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
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 scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average salary | $89,998 | $52,785 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $137,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Memphis, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Argonne National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a research scientist and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:
| Research Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research scientists' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:
| Research Scientist | Postdoctoral Research Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% 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% |