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The differences between senior staff scientists 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 staff scientist and a postdoctoral scholar. Additionally, a senior staff scientist has an average salary of $123,740, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.
The top three skills for a senior staff scientist include data analysis, FDA and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a postdoctoral scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.
| Senior Staff Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Yearly salary | $123,740 | $57,587 |
| Hourly rate | $59.49 | $27.69 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 113,265 | 18,983 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Senior Staff Scientist is responsible for supervising projects and activities of a company. They manage the technical, budgetary, and scheduling aspects of scientific research projects.
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 staff scientists and postdoctoral scholars have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average salary | $123,740 | $57,587 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $177,000 | Between $41,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior staff scientist and a postdoctoral scholar in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between senior staff scientists' and postdoctoral scholars' demographics:
| Senior Staff Scientist | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.7% Female, 25.3% | Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% 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 Percentage | 8% | 8% |