Scientist senior, research and development vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between scientist seniors, research and development 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 scientist senior, research and development and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a scientist senior, research and development has an average salary of $103,295, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a scientist senior, research and development include project management, GMP and product development. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Scientist senior, research and development vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Scientist Senior, Research And Development	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$103,295	$52,785
Hourly rate	$49.66	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	129,823	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Scientist senior, research and development vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Scientist seniors, research and development and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientist Senior, Research And Development	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$103,295	$52,785
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $141,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Foster City, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	The Clorox Company	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between scientist senior, research and development and postdoctoral research associate education

There are a few differences between a scientist senior, research and development and a postdoctoral research associate in terms of educational background:

	Scientist Senior, Research And Development	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Scientist senior, research and development vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between scientist seniors, research and development' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Scientist Senior, Research And Development	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 29.3% White, 50.5% 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 scientist senior, research and development and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Scientist senior, research and development example responsibilities.

Manage data entry, review and approval of all sample testing results in LabWare (LIMS).
Forge and manage collaborative relationships with DoD and academia.
Develop specifications for API's and drug products and write spec justifications.
Perform preventative and corrective maintenance on HPLC and LC/MS systems.
Collaborate on development of an ELISA assay; increase reliability of data.
Initiate and conduct stability study for drug substance and drug product using HPLC.

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.

Scientist senior, research and development vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common scientist senior, research and development skills

Project Management, 6%
GMP, 4%
Product Development, 4%
HPLC, 4%
Method Development, 4%
FDA, 3%

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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Scientist Senior, Research And Development
Scientist Senior, Research And Development vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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