Research volunteer vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between research volunteers and postdoctoral research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a research volunteer, becoming a postdoctoral research associate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research volunteer has an average salary of $54,668, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a research volunteer include lab procedures, cell culture and laboratory techniques. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Research volunteer vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Research Volunteer	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$54,668	$52,785
Hourly rate	$26.28	$25.38
Growth rate	19%	17%
Number of jobs	50,334	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	38	41
Years of experience	2	4

Research volunteer vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Research Volunteer	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$54,668	$52,785
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $85,000	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 volunteer and postdoctoral research associate education

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

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

Research volunteer vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Research Volunteer	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	38	41
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 volunteer and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Research volunteer example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Assist in monitoring MRI scans.
Assist in cloning and expression for RNA research.
Analyze cell lysates and purify proteins by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
Design a PowerPoint presentation to teach senior adults about email accounts.
Assist with laboratory experiments, collect data and DNA samples, contribute to lab protocols.

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 volunteer vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common research volunteer skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Cell Culture, 8%
Laboratory Techniques, 7%
Data Collection, 6%
R, 4%
RT-PCR, 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 Volunteer
Research Volunteer vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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