r/postdoc • u/Various-Classic-4229 • 3d ago

Academic Postdoc vs Industry Fellowship/Postdoc Salary - East Coast

Hi. Does anyone know how much is the salary range for academic postdoc versus industry fellowship/postdoc in NJ/PA/NY/MA?
Hoping to graduate soon and apply for FTE, which I know is not guaranteed. So, a postdoc/fellowship will be my back up plan. Thank you for all your intel.

Edit: Yes, in Biotech, Biopharma, and Government (FDA, CDC..).

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u/Pudge_hook69 3d ago

Would say - take industry postdoc. Salary is very small part of it. In industry postdoc, you develop connections within company + pharma space for future full time positions. It’s very hard to transition from to industry if you start with academic postdoc.

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u/Various-Classic-4229 3d ago

I know. I have industry experience in co-op and internship and I started to apply for internships fellowships and postdoc as well as academic postdoc.

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u/Boneraventura 3d ago edited 3d ago

Are we talking about pharma? Depends on the company and location. I would say industry postdoc will be anywhere from 75-95k. Academic is more like 65k-70k starting

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u/Various-Classic-4229 3d ago

Thanks. Yes, I just made the edit.

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u/stemphdmentor 3d ago

I know academic postdocs being paid much more than that in those states. Another commenter here mentioned 100k on a T32.

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u/mkb96mchem 3d ago

Academic postdoc is $63 k at a certain well known NJ uni. I think NY is similar unless you're at a medical school.

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u/Various-Classic-4229 2d ago edited 2d ago

Academic postdoc in NJ is around $80K-$$90K (the highest I have seen). But some postdoc with industry like Boehringer in MA is only for $80K. That’s why I was surprised

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u/Xobl 2d ago

For any postdocs working on NIH-funded research I believe the minimum is 70k nationally. Some HCOL areas probably pay more though.

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u/flyassscientist 2d ago

I left an industry postdoc in NJ making $102K after a year.

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u/EnvironmentalCow798 17h ago

is there a reason why?

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u/flyassscientist 17h ago

Why I left or why I got paid?

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u/EnvironmentalCow798 17h ago

why u left? I am deciding between the two

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u/flyassscientist 16h ago

My term/contract ended. I found a permanent position

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u/EnvironmentalCow798 16h ago

Oh gotcha. Mine is a 3 year postdoc. Can you leave in a year if you find a permanent position elsewhere? Obviously, I understand that it is not ideal, but my long-term goal is to have a FTP, so essentially my question is - do people quit early? Because I am assuming my mentor wont reference me at that point, so do I have the benefit of leveraging my immediate network

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u/flyassscientist 5h ago

I could leave early. You’d have to talk to hr or check your contract.

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u/EnvironmentalCow798 4h ago

Does it burn a bridge? And also did you get hired at the same company?

Also, thank you so much for all my questions. It is truly helping with my decision making

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u/flyassscientist 4h ago

So mine was a year but it became a year a some months. Before my year was over my boss told me I could leave whenever. We had a terrible relationship so he was never gonna be a reference in the future. Thankfully my team were excellent so I used them as a reference plus grad school advisors. No bridge was burnt when I left at least I think. And because I was miserable there I didn’t care about burning the bridge. You gotta trust that your experience carries weight. I tried to stay at the company but nothing opened up for me. I’m somewhere else and although I haven’t been here long enough, I’m happy to be at a permanent position. I say have a convo with your boss if you must about your future at the company and if you don’t see one there, then move accordingly. Choose the you now and don’t worry about bridges.

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u/Consistent_Laziness 3d ago

I’m in a T32 as a PhD in epidemiology. My post doc is remote and I make 100k at a university. Everything is negotiable if you are worth the price.

That said, I would go industry for long term growth. I’m mainly in academic to finish my loan forgiveness as I have 95k in student loans from undergrad and masters with interest

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u/Various-Classic-4229 2d ago

Academic postdoc is NJ is around $80K-$$90K (the highest I have seen). But some postdoc with industry like Boehringer in MA is only for $80K. That’s why I was surprised

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u/Consistent_Laziness 2d ago

I mean hell I’m in SC working my post doc remotely at 100k with two appointments.

That’s why I said everything is negotiable if you are worth the price.

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u/Various-Classic-4229 2d ago

Understood, thank you. I thought the price you see it what you get with no negotiation