Research staff member vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research staff members 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 staff member and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a research staff member has an average salary of $110,035, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research staff member include python, machine learning and research projects. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research staff member vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Staff Member	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$110,035	$52,785
Hourly rate	$52.90	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	118,661	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a research staff member do?

A Research Staff Member is a part of the research team who will assist in the entire research project. The staff member will work on various research stages and assist in collating information from different sources. One of the research staff members' responsibilities is to understand all facets of conducting research, get all government policies regarding the particular topic in research, and ensure that all procedures are legal and ethical. The research staff member is a broad term for a person part of a research team and is often given specific tasks when one is officially part of the team.

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 staff member vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Research Staff Member	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$110,035	$52,785
Salary range	Between $77,000 And $156,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Hawaii
Best paying company	PARC	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between research staff member and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Research Staff Member	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Research staff member vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Research Staff Member	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% 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 staff member and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research staff member example responsibilities.

Invent and develop new (user) input technology then lead the design and prototyping of its applications.
Design, analyze, and oversee HIV relate research projects including IRB protocol.
Perform testing for urinalysis, blood sugar, EKG, eye examinations, and blood pressure.
Prove that single amino acid changes affect protein oligomerization as well as DNA / RNA - protein binding.
Develop advance visualization components and diagrams using C++ third party libraries.
Research chemistry and biology projects pertaining to the synthesis of gamma amino derivatives

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 staff member vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research staff member skills

Python, 17%
Machine Learning, 14%
Research Projects, 6%
DOE, 6%
Data Analysis, 5%
Java, 4%

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 Staff Member vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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