Postdoctoral associates make reports on the research that is being done. They assist the manager of the project with project coordination. They supervise the research assistants. They communicate with not just the project manager, but also with the main investigator. They interact with the faculty and look into anything that needs attention which is related to the research they are involved in. Postdoctoral associates are often responsible for some of the training of graduate and undergraduate students in the laboratories. Because they have to take research reports to conferences, it is necessary that they are capable of working with PowerPoint (Microsoft Office).
For a postdoctoral associate job it is necessary to be detail oriented. After all, that is what research is all about: finding the detail that makes the difference. Good communication skills and verbal skills in general are highly appreciated. They have to be able to present a report convincingly and accurately, and their presentations, as well as their research, have to be to the satisfaction of their audience as well as their superiors.
A Ph.D. in the same or closely related field is necessary to get a post doctoral associate job. For instance, for a position related to the study of public health it could be required to have a background in epidemiology or research in health services. Postdoctoral associates work with statistical analyses that are very technical. They develop analyses and execute them. They are extremely proficient in data collection and are experienced with SAS and STATA. Sometimes proficiency in Mat lab or IDL is required.
Federal surveys are not new to postdoctoral associates. They have to be able to present research to a mixed audience. In other words, when part of the audience is unfamiliar with the material and part consists of experts in the field, the postdoctoral associate has to appeal to both groups of listeners. Sometimes it is necessary to go somewhere on location to do research. Postdoctoral associates can be required to travel to another continent to do research on a certain species, for instance. Candidates who are at least bilingual have a better chance of getting these international jobs. Many employers in the research arena request proof of prior publications.
The salary of a postdoctoral associate is usually between $35,000 and $45,000 dollars a year. This is so low because the position is actually considered to be an extension of the actual education in the particular field.
The value of postdoctoral associates’ work exceeds by far the salary that they get paid. The fame of research that is credited to the colleges should actually be given to the individual postdoctoral associate. Often, postdoctoral associate are the ones responsible for reaching milestones and unfolding discoveries.
