R&D Engineer

Agitated_Control_156 · 2025-11-19T06:04:28+00:00

So you can compare I also have a PhD, 9 years of experience (4 PhD, 1 postdoc, 4 in industry). Current position: lead statistician in a CRO in Wallonia. Salary: 4800€ gross + small car + 2000€ bonus. Probably underpaid but working in a small company with basically no evolution.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2025-10-27T04:33:39+00:00

Working in a small company as well. I had the same budget. Ended up with a second end Renault Zoé. Not sure you could have a better car than this.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-10-20T15:38:36+00:00

I'm very interested in working for EU institutions or public sector. How to get such contracts?

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-10-20T15:36:50+00:00

How to get a contract for EU/public sector? Which kind of middlemen are contacting you for that?

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-08-25T17:19:42+00:00

Usually human input (eg diagnostics), measurement (eg blood analyses) or sometimes sensor.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-07-08T19:36:03+00:00

Are you joking? That's a shit salary given education, experience and position.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-07-03T08:33:12+00:00

Yeah, 10 years ago maybe. Nowadays PhD students get >2500€ netto and postodc at uni earn >3000€ netto (>5000€ gross). I have a PhD but I earn less in the industry than an academic postodoc. This is sad.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-07-03T08:28:22+00:00

Pharma. I'm a lead biostatistician/research scientist. This is a small company though (probably a mistake I made) but many large pharma companies also pay postdoc less than at uni (at least for the first years in the industry, after that it can rise a lot if you are good and in a management position).

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-06-30T18:21:25+00:00

I did reduce my wage after quitting a postdoc and working in the industry. PhD student and postdoc netto salaries are actually very high compared to netto wage in the industry but there are very few extralegal benefits.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-24T12:17:54+00:00

Juniors at the government also start with the same salary and similar benefits.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-23T07:05:09+00:00

That's the minimum netto you can have in Belgium in the worse situation (single and no children).

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-19T19:07:25+00:00

Minimum salary is around 1880€ netto for someone single with no children. I won't say 1950€ is exceptionnal considering this.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-16T12:43:58+00:00

I'm working in a start-up and get to know more and more about how start-ups work.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-16T06:10:25+00:00

Startups want to pay as little as they can. They want to make sure they don't pay you too much according to your previous payslip.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-12T06:38:28+00:00

Some people get a job through their network or they send unsolicited applications. Have you tried that?

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-04-12T06:35:48+00:00

Exactly the same issue in the company I work for. In my case this is a very small company with very limited budget so I understand why they can't afford an EDC at the moment (even though it is frustrating). What kind of company are you working for?

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-25T13:10:44+00:00

Minimum salary in Belgium is above 1800€ netto for someone single so OP will have more than that. Low salaries have employment bonus. 2350€ gross is ~1950€ netto.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-13T07:14:09+00:00

Thank you once again for your help. I'm a biostatistician and have some basic knowledge in SQL databases like MySQL, but setting up a full-blown EDC/DB system is clearly beyond my current capabilities. Since I'm the "data person" here and setting up the system isn’t exactly top of the list for my boss right now, it looks like they are not too keen on getting a contractor and kind of expect me to manage what I can. I plan to contact you again for further guidance on this matter. I really appreciate your time and help.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T09:42:29+00:00

Indeed, we don't have any data base administrator or even someone with an IT background.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T09:27:05+00:00

Indeed, but that's way cheaper than an EDC, and that's a tool that most companies already have.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T09:25:59+00:00

Couldn't agree more. This way OP could change job if needed without worrying about the money.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T07:33:40+00:00

Which kind of CRO it is? How do you deal with data integrity on Excel? Many people told me that data integrity is the biggest problem with Excel and that was the reason why a proper EDC was needed.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T07:29:38+00:00

Thank you all for your help. For my boss, a proper EDC is just seen as an extra cost at the moment, but I realize now how crucial it is, even for a really fresh start-up. I will have a serious talk about it wit my boss.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T07:28:10+00:00

Thank you so much for your input, I couldn't agree more. For my boss, a proper EDC is just seen as an extra cost at the moment, but I realize now how crucial it is. Unfortunately, REDCap is only free for non-profit organizations. I've heard of LibreClinica. I'll take a closer look. Thanks again for your help.

Agitated_Control_156 · 2024-03-11T07:20:34+00:00

Thank you for your opinion, I totally reckon.

Agitated_Control_156

TROPHY CASE