Post job

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral scholar

The differences between senior research associates, research and development and postdoctoral scholars 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 scholar. Additionally, a senior research associate, research and development has an average salary of $80,872, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.

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 scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral scholar overview

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Scholar
Yearly salary$80,872$57,587
Hourly rate$38.88$27.69
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs105,20618,983
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
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 scholar do?

A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral scholar salary

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Scholar
Average salary$80,872$57,587
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $109,000Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companySAS InstituteMicrosoft
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

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

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Scholar
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral scholar demographics

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

Senior Research Associate, Research And DevelopmentPostdoctoral Scholar
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 65.2% Female, 34.8%Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%
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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior research associate, research and development and postdoctoral scholar 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 scholar example responsibilities.

  • Lead community-based health projects on and off campus as an Oslerian student scholar.
  • Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
  • Utilize basic organic and inorganic chemistry techniques including polymer synthesis and NMR spectroscopy.
  • Train graduate students on molecular biology techniques- DNA and RNA extraction and qPCR.
  • Contribute to successful NIH grant proposals.
  • Develop HPLC analysis method for skin folate.
  • Show more

Senior research associate, research and development vs postdoctoral scholar 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 scholar skills
  • Chemistry, 10%
  • Python, 8%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • NIH, 5%
  • C++, 5%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs