At a university, research institute, or comparable academic setting, you hold a postdoctoral fellowship — typically a named or grant-funded fellowship that supports a defined period of independent or semi-independent research after the doctorate.
Days are a mix of the fellowship's research program, manuscript work, and the broader academic activities that fellowship status enables — pursuing the research project the fellowship funds, drafting publications, presenting at meetings, sometimes teaching or mentoring as the fellowship terms specify. Research progress, publication output, and fellowship-deliverable completion shape the visible measures.
What surprises newer fellows is the academic-job-market reality — postdoctoral fellowships are typically the bridge to tenure-track or research-staff positions, and the job market in many fields is highly competitive. Variance across employers is wide: NIH and NSF fellowships, named institutional fellowships, and discipline-specific fellowships all run with different funding levels and expectations.
This role tends to fit folks who carry deep research commitment, comfort with the time-limited career stage, and the patience for the long arc of building an academic career. PhD plus growing publication record and research-network development anchor career progression. The trade-off is the modest pay typical of fellowship positions and the career-uncertainty that follows the fellowship period in many fields.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Turn your career record
into a springboard for growth.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
At a university, research institute, or comparable academic setting, you hold a postdoctoral fellowship — typically a named or grant-funded fellowship that supports a defined period of independent or semi-independent research after the doctorate.
Median pay for a Postdoctoral Fellow is about $161K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $80K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, and Coordination.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.7% through 2034, with roughly 100,870 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Clinical Manager, Clinical Data Coordinator, and Research Coordinator.
Remember “your permanent record”?
This time it works for you.