Senior formulation scientist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between senior formulation 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 senior formulation scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a senior formulation scientist has an average salary of $102,574, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a senior formulation scientist include dosage forms, scale-up and formulation development. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Senior formulation scientist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Senior Formulation Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$102,574	$52,785
Hourly rate	$49.31	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	48,668	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior formulation scientist do?

As a senior formulation scientist, your main aim is to have clinical trials as well as to conduct some tests to compare the reaction of potential customers to that of your previous formulations. You need to design pre-formulation studies. By doing this, you can understand the formulation of different types of medical trials performed. You also need to assist in the pharmaceutical formulation to form a great report for the company.

The main skills which are required to become a senior formulation scientist are observational as well as critical thinking skills. You need to have proper report-making skills so that you can research and analyze the data from your formulations and then condense them into important medical documents. You should be able to communicate clearly to your team members so that they can help and assist you in the formulations as well as develop different ideas.

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.

Senior formulation scientist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

Senior formulation scientists and postdoctoral research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Formulation Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$102,574	$52,785
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $141,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Memphis, TN
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Exelixis	Argonne National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Professional

Differences between senior formulation scientist and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Senior Formulation Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Senior formulation scientist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

Here are the differences between senior formulation scientists' and postdoctoral research associates' demographics:

	Senior Formulation Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% 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 senior formulation scientist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Senior formulation scientist example responsibilities.

Identify 10 leads with IC50 o MOA study reveal non-genomic effect though PPAR.
Forge and manage collaborative relationships with DoD and academia.
Manufacture of supplies for animal bio-studies and GMP supplies for clinical trials.
Provide scale-up and tech transfer support to commercial manufacturing facilities through process validation and subsequent manufacturing activities.
Generate monthly GMP reports and schedule of GMP training for scientists.
Lead feather keratin peptides for cosmetic, leather tanning, bio-adhesive application.

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.

Senior formulation scientist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common senior formulation scientist skills

Dosage Forms, 15%
Scale-Up, 10%
Formulation Development, 10%
GMP, 7%
CMC, 4%
Data Analysis, 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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Senior Formulation Scientist
Senior Formulation Scientist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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