How To Become A Research Biologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a research biologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

If that sounds heavy, it's because you'll need at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology. If you want top-tier salary, however, getting a master's degree might be worth your while. And considering this field earns anywhere from $59K to $160K with a median salary around $116K, the extra schooling could certainly impact your paycheck. And with a projected job growth of 10% as of 2021, there's no time like the present to consider secondary education.

What general advice would you give to a Research Biologist?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScoreResearch BiologistUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,719

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.2

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 15.69%

Black or African American 2.94%

Hispanic or Latino 8.27%

Unknown 5.25%

White 67.15%

Gender

female 55.07%

male 44.93%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research biologist

Explore research biologist education requirements

Most common research biologist degrees

Bachelor's

72.2 %

Master's

15.8 %

Doctorate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific research biologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Laboratory Equipment	12.59%
Research Projects	9.11%
Molecular Biology	5.11%
Cell Lines	5.06%
R	4.59%

Research research biologist duties and responsibilities

Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Support book of business activities by performing request ELISA assays for ongoing GLP and Non-GLP safety studies.
Screen antibodies and optimize conditions for an indirect ELISA used to characterize a vaccine product.
Characterize recombinant human CPP32 to understand processing and activation by western blot analysis and activity assays.

Prepare your research biologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research biologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a research biologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Research Biologist Resume templates

Build a professional Research Biologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Research Biologist resume.

Apply for research biologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research biologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do research biologists rate their job?

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Research Biologist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

None

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Science of observation