Senior laboratory scientist vs postdoctoral research associate

The differences between senior laboratory 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 laboratory scientist and a postdoctoral research associate. Additionally, a senior laboratory scientist has an average salary of $88,562, which is higher than the $52,785 average annual salary of a postdoctoral research associate.

The top three skills for a senior laboratory scientist include GMP, FDA and cell culture. The most important skills for a postdoctoral research associate are python, research projects, and chemistry.

Senior laboratory scientist vs postdoctoral research associate overview

	Senior Laboratory Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Yearly salary	$88,562	$52,785
Hourly rate	$42.58	$25.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	77,364	59,377
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Senior laboratory scientist vs postdoctoral research associate salary

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

	Senior Laboratory Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average salary	$88,562	$52,785
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $128,000	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 senior laboratory scientist and postdoctoral research associate education

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

	Senior Laboratory Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Senior laboratory scientist vs postdoctoral research associate demographics

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

	Senior Laboratory Scientist	Postdoctoral Research Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% 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%

Differences between senior laboratory scientist and postdoctoral research associate duties and responsibilities

Senior laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
Enter results into LIMS database.
Generate reports and deliver of presentations to support submissions to FDA.
Establish quantitative, proprietary method for measurement of menstrual blood loss (now register with FDA).
Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.
Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.

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 laboratory scientist vs postdoctoral research associate skills

Common senior laboratory scientist skills

GMP, 9%
FDA, 9%
Cell Culture, 9%
Analytical Methods, 7%
R, 6%
Method Development, 6%

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 Laboratory Scientist
Senior Laboratory Scientist vs Postdoctoral Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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