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Postdoctoral Research Fellow Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Ability to work both independently and collaboratively towards common research goals. * We expect postdoctoral fellows to establish and advocate for best practices in scientific reproducibility of ...

About the Opportunity JOB SUMMARY The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will conduct independent and collaborative research at the intersection of epidemiology, environmental health, biostatistics, and ...

Job Summary A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available in the Edwards Lab at the University of Michigan in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology (CDB). We use a combination of ...

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow information

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$45.5K

$85.1K

$178.5K

How much do postdoctoral research fellow jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for postdoctoral research fellow in the United States is $85,062.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $58,000.00 and $101,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Postdoctoral Research Fellow vs Research Scientist?

AspectPostdoctoral Research FellowResearch Scientist
Required CredentialsDoctoral degree (Ph.D.) in relevant fieldMaster's or Ph.D., often with more industry experience
Work EnvironmentAcademic or research institutionsIndustry labs, corporate R&D
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, government research agenciesPrivate companies, biotech, tech firms
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Postdoctoral Research Fellows typically hold a Ph.D. and work in academic or research settings, focusing on specialized research projects. Research Scientists may have similar credentials but often work in industry, applying research to product development or innovation. While both roles involve research, the Postdoctoral Research Fellow is usually a temporary position aimed at gaining experience, whereas Research Scientists are often more involved in applied research within companies.

What are some typical challenges faced by postdoctoral research fellows when transitioning to independent research roles?

Postdoctoral Research Fellows often face challenges such as balancing independent research with the expectations set by their principal investigator, securing funding for their own projects, and building a professional network. Navigating the shift from a supervised role to leading projects requires developing grant-writing skills, managing collaborations, and mentoring junior researchers. Actively seeking feedback, attending conferences, and publishing consistently can help fellows establish their reputation and prepare for future independent positions in academia or industry.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a postdoctoral research fellow?

To thrive as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you need a doctoral degree in a relevant field, advanced research skills, and a strong publication record. Expertise in specialized laboratory techniques, data analysis software (such as R or Python), and familiarity with grant-writing or research funding processes are often required. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication are essential soft skills for collaborating with peers and disseminating research findings. These abilities are crucial for advancing scientific knowledge, securing research funding, and building a successful academic or industry career.

What is a postdoctoral research fellow?

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow is an individual who has completed their doctoral studies (Ph.D. or equivalent) and undertakes advanced academic or scientific research, typically under the guidance of a principal investigator or faculty member. The main goal of a postdoctoral fellowship is to deepen expertise in a specific research area, contribute to scholarly publications, and gain experience necessary for independent research or academic positions. These positions are often temporary, lasting from one to several years, and can be found in universities, research institutions, or industry. Postdocs play a vital role in advancing research projects and may also mentor students or assist with teaching.
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What cities are hiring for Postdoctoral Research Fellow jobs?

Cities with the most Postdoctoral Research Fellow job openings:

What states have the most Postdoctoral Research Fellow jobs?

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What are popular job titles related to Postdoctoral Research Fellow jobs?

For Postdoctoral Research Fellow jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Postdoctoral Research Fellow job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 94% Full Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $85,062 per year, or $40.9 per hour.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Northeastern University

Boston, MA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 25 days ago


Job description

About the Opportunity
About the Institute
Do you want to be part of an exciting new Institute focused on combining human and machine intelligence into working AI solutions?
We are launching a pioneering research and innovation hub in AI-one that will shape the way humans and machines collaborate for decades to come. Led by Prof. Usama Fayyad, the Institute for Experiential AI is built around the challenges and opportunities made possible by human-machine collaboration. The Institute provides a framework to design, implement, and scale AI-driven technologies in ways that make a true difference to society. Our ability to respond to the opportunities afforded to society will depend on training and building a workforce that is AI-capable and prosperous.
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.
About the Institute
Do you want to be part of an exciting new Institute focused on combining human and machine intelligence into working AI solutions?
We are launching a pioneering research and innovation hub in AI-one that will shape the way humans and machines collaborate for decades to come. Led by Prof. Usama Fayyad, the Institute for Experiential AI is built around the challenges and opportunities made possible by human-machine collaboration. The Institute provides a framework to design, implement, and scale AI-driven technologies in ways that make a true difference to society. Our ability to respond to the opportunities afforded to society will depend on training and building a workforce that is AI-capable and prosperous.
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.
The Culture
Here at the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI) we are committed to the highest standards in all that we do. Working at the EAI offers opportunities, an environment, and a culture that just aren't found together anywhere else. This is the right place for you if you're curious, motivated by the future of technology, and want to be part of a unique and diverse community that works on high-impact research, educational, business, and societal problems.
Job Summary
Northeastern University's Institute for Experiential AI has established a position for a Postdoctoral Researcher focused on work at the intersection of artificial intelligence and Responsible AI, NLP & IR 3.0, Health/Wellness, and/or Life Sciences. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be based out of either the Boston, MA or Portland, ME campus and conduct applied research, prepare work for submission to journal/conference publications, contribute to extramural funding applications, and project manage in connection with projects. This position has a two-year, renewable appointment.
The position will be associated to one of the following specialization areas:
  • Responsible AI: This area focuses on the design, development and governance of AI systems, as well as the evaluation, monitoring, and auditing of such systems.
  • NLP & IR 3.0: This area covers the study of large language models and other natural language processing techniques applied to language understanding and the next generation of search engines.
  • AI + Health: This area levarages AI to study and solve complex problems in the health sciences, including fields such as healthcare informatics, movement and rehabilitation sciences, medical imaging, remote sensing, computer vision, mental health, data fusion, computational medicine, predictive analytics, big data, neuroscience, and related fields.
  • AI + Life Sciences: Participate in research projects that are related to AI and the life sciences. These may include applications of neural networks to the analysis of multi-omic data, models for predicting phenotypes using genotype data, biological data integration, etc.. Participation in these projects will include scientific programming, data analysis, manuscript preparation, meeting with collaborators, etc..

Minimum Qualifications
A Ph.D. in computer science, AI, Data Science, computational biology, Ethics in AI, or health-related field by the appointment start date. A record of outstanding research during the Ph.D., as evidenced by publications, grants, software outputs, and other scholarly measures of impact. Proposal preparations for sponsored research funding, research experience involving team science projects, and project management experience are pluses.
Values & Abilities:
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively towards common research goals.
  • We expect postdoctoral fellows to establish and advocate for best practices in scientific reproducibility of all results, and to promote the ethical use of data and algorithms.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with a variety of different stakeholders, e.g., academics, business executives, government officials, journalists/media, etc.
  • Comfortable navigating complex internal processes and structures.
  • Respect for diversity and the importance of interdisciplinary teams.
  • Entrepreneurial mindset, self-starter and innovative thinker while at the same time being able to navigate multi-layered channels within a university setting and working across multiple teams/business units.
  • Team-player who can collaborate effectively in a university setting.
  • Open-minded, assertive, and professional when collaborating and working within our team and with other groups within Northeastern University.

Additional qualifications:
Responsible AI
  • Knowledge of key concepts like bias and fairness.
  • Experience on monitoring ML models (bias, drift, etc.) and algorithmic audits

Natural Language Processing
  • Knowledge of key tasks such as entity recognition and entailment.
  • Experience with word embeddings and large language models.

AI in Health
  • Strong research record using AI in a health-related discipline.
  • Applicants with the following training will be considered
    • PhD in computer science, machine learning, AI or related computational field, or,
    • Ph.D. in a health-related discipline with experience in experimental science, devices / technology, data collection, unique populations, etc, that can be leveraged for AI applications..
  • Strong written / verbal communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to think critically and creatively, and to collaborate as part of a team

AI in Life Sciences
Must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in a quantitative/computational field related to the life sciences. These may include bioinformatics, computational biology, mathematical biology, etc. Must have experience in bioinformatics and/or biological data formats. Must have progressive experience that demonstrates the ability to plan and execute research. This experience can be concurrent during PhD research. Must have experience in research software development, FAIR data/open science, life sciences data systems, and analysis of 'omics data (e.g., metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics, etc.).
Required Documents:
Please submit the following documents in a single Word/ PDF document along with your application-
Cover Letter (please specify the specialization(s) you are interested in) Resume Few samples of your Research Papers/Articles One page Research Statement. The research statement should not exceed 1 page. A reference cited section can be appended following the research statement and does not count towards the page limit. Please use 11- or 12-point size and a standard font. Page margins should be 1 inch or greater. Please address the following:
1. Describe your research and how it has contributed to your field?
2. What future directions do you anticipate for your research?
3. Who are your primary collaborators and what are your experiences with industrial collaborations?
Position Type
Research
Additional Information
Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.
Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.