How much do associate research scientists make?

Associate research scientists make an average salary of $70,000 per year. This equates to about $33 per hour. The top 10% of associate research scientists make around $100,000 a year, while the bottom 10% make around $50,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, industry, and years of experience in the profession.

How much do associate scientists make?

Associate scientists make an average salary of $70,000 per year. This equates to about $33 per hour. The top ten percent of associate scientists make around $100,000 a year, while the bottom ten percent make around $50,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, industry, and years of experience in the profession.

How much does an assistant scientist make a year?

An assistant scientist makes $60,000 a year, on average. This equates to about $30 per hour. The top 10% of assistant scientists make around $80,000 a year, while the bottom 10% make around $40,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, industry, and years of experience in the profession.

What is an assistant scientist?

An assistant scientist is a person who supports research and experiments under the associate scientist, often in a laboratory environment. As an assistant scientist, there are many industries a person can work in, including pharmaceutical companies, manufacturing companies, and universities.

What qualifications do you need to be a scientist?

The minimum qualification you need to be a scientist is a four-year bachelor's degree within the specific field a person intends to work in. However, if a person wants to work independently or perform industrial research, a doctoral degree is often required.

How To Become An Associate Scientist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an associate scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

An associate scientist is an individual who works under the lead scientist and supports their research.

Associate scientists often work in a laboratory environment. As an associate scientist, there are many industries you can work in, including the research field where the lead scientist oversees your project, and you help author papers.

Many pharmaceutical companies hire associate scientists to analyze samples to develop drugs and assist with preclinical and clinical studies. Private companies need you to produce specialty chemicals for their clients.

Materials scientists at the associate level conduct research and test the properties of metals, plastics, and other materials for their use in new products and packaging. Some positions have duties that include training other team members and overseeing students and fellows.

The qualifications to become an associate scientist often include a Ph.D. in the area you specialize in, such as chemistry, pharmaceutical, or biological sciences. However, some employers, especially private companies, only require a bachelor's or master's degree, though these positions often require extensive professional experience.

You need strong problem-solving and analytical skills and must be an expert in your field while being able to learn and incorporate new techniques and technologies. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are also necessary to effectively collaborate with other scientists on a research or clinical team.

What general advice would you give to an Associate Scientist?

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.

ScoreAssociate ScientistUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,461

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.3

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.32%

Black or African American 6.44%

Hispanic or Latino 9.69%

Unknown 4.13%

White 53.27%

Gender

female 51.37%

male 48.63%

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

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an associate scientist

Explore associate scientist education requirements

Most common associate scientist degrees

Bachelor's

73.2 %

Master's

17.0 %

Doctorate

4.8 %

Start to develop specific associate scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Chemistry	9.03%
Patients	8.29%
Cell Culture	5.17%
Data Analysis	4.94%
GMP	4.27%

Complete relevant associate scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate scientists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate scientist resumes.

Research associate scientist duties and responsibilities

Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
Generate crispr knockout STAT1, STAT3 and STAT1 & 3double knockout cell lines.
Use CRISPR technology to create target knockout cell line.
Direct ISO 9000 4.10 team registration activities and perform internal audits.

Prepare your associate scientist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate scientist resume.

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