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Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral associate

The differences between senior research associates, research and development and postdoctoral 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 research associate, research and development and a postdoctoral associate. Additionally, a senior research associate, research and development has an average salary of $80,872, which is higher than the $54,350 average annual salary of a postdoctoral associate.

The top three skills for a senior research associate, research and development include cell culture, sops and GMP. The most important skills for a postdoctoral associate are patients, TIP, and data analysis.

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral associate overview

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Associate
Yearly salary$80,872$54,350
Hourly rate$38.88$26.13
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs105,20618,093
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a senior research associate, research and development do?

A senior scientific associate performs professional technician, administrative and managerial research work. They work independently in the sphere of a research department. They do various research projects and coordinate with team members in doing a plethora of experiments. They use computers and laboratories to perform data analysis, statistical analysis, and elevated technical evaluation of research experiments. They also play a vital role in preparing development-based reports and writing different proposal to funding agencies. They are key to the review work of research staff and the development of their company.

What does a postdoctoral associate do?

A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral associate salary

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Associate
Average salary$80,872$54,350
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $109,000Between $39,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CABerkeley, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaMaine
Best paying companySAS InstituteArgonne National Laboratory
Best paying industryTechnologyEducation

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

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral associate demographics

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Associate
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 65.2% Female, 34.8%Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% 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, 5.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 39.4% White, 42.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior research associate, research and development and postdoctoral associate duties and responsibilities

Senior research associate, research and development example responsibilities.

  • Forge and manage collaborative relationships with DoD and academia.
  • Enter data in internal LIMS system.
  • Support drug substance process development and GMP manufacturing.
  • Partner with regulatory to ensure FDA specifications are met.
  • Co-Authore method qualification report that are submitted to the FDA.
  • Isolate DNA and RNA from blood, tissue and culture cells.
  • Show more

Postdoctoral associate example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
  • Co-Authore NIH grant proposal on membrane protein folding.
  • Participate in writing research grant applications including NIH and NSF.
  • X-ray protein crystallographic studies on the structures of antibodies and DNA.
  • Purify DNA from subject blood samples and organize the genome screen.
  • Complete mice handling training and currently using CRISPR technology to knockout genes in cell lines.
  • Show more

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral associate skills

Common senior research associate, research and development skills
  • Cell Culture, 11%
  • Sops, 11%
  • GMP, 9%
  • Technical Reports, 7%
  • QC, 6%
  • Elisa, 5%
Common postdoctoral associate skills
  • Patients, 8%
  • TIP, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Biomedical, 5%
  • CRISPR, 5%
  • Python, 4%

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