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Associate scientist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Katina Lillios,

Drew Conroy Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical associate scientist skills. We ranked the top skills for associate scientists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.0% of associate scientist resumes contained chemistry as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an associate scientist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 associate scientist skills for your resume and career

1. Chemistry

Chemistry is the branch of science that tells us about the composition, properties, and structure of elements and compounds. The processes these elements undergo and how they undergo change all come under the branch of chemistry.

Here's how associate scientists use chemistry:

Assisted supervisor with Clinical Chemistry Branch budget review, procurement management and provides suitable monthly reports.
Designed and demonstrated robust tumor growth inhibitory effects through structure-based design and conventional medicinal chemistry methods.

2. Patients

Here's how associate scientists use patients:

Performed essential data analysis to co-author a publication observing the correlation of T cell repertoire to clinical characteristics in lupus patients.
Work to support all patients' research experiments for the development of Cytonics'diagnostic and therapeutic products.

3. Cell Culture

Here's how associate scientists use cell culture:

Created tracking tables that allowed evaluation of materials and protocols used which facilitated formulating strategies for meeting cell culture challenges.
Authored technical reports documenting the cell culture expression, purification, and characterization of critical research reagents.

4. Data Analysis

Here's how associate scientists use data analysis:

Engineered experiments on state-of-the-art statistical machine translation and speech recognition systems while conducting data analysis and rapid prototyping using Perl.
Designed technical protocols, executed assays, performed data analysis, and wrote summarized technical reports and data presentations.

5. GMP

GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice. It is a system that ensures that all products like food, beverages, and medicinal drugs that are produced comply with the quality standards. It helps in minimizing the risks and hazards that cannot be eliminated after the testing of final products.

Here's how associate scientists use gmp:

Perform Environmental Monitoring to ensure manufacturing facility is in a GMP state to support drug substance manufacturing.
Performed qualifications and validations for multiple assays including assays transferred to Quality Control for GMP testing.

6. Lab Equipment

Here's how associate scientists use lab equipment:

Manage bi-weekly resources schedule for lab users and utilize lab equipment efficiently and effectively.
Calibrated, operationally qualified and performed preventive maintenance on lab equipment and instrumentation.

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7. HPLC

Here's how associate scientists use hplc:

Developed and validated HPLC assays for quantification of sugars, organic acids and alcohols in complex fermentation matrix.
Performed calibration, verification, preventive maintenance, and performance qualification on HPLC systems, and dissolution apparatus.

8. Elisa

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or ELISA is an examination or test to measure and detect a person's specific antigen, antibodies, and protein. This type of test will identify if the sample component is infected with a relative disease or condition such as HIV infection, anemia, Zika Virus, and Lyme disease with just a single experiment.

Here's how associate scientists use elisa:

Provided manufacturing support to produce ELISA components.
Performed various immunological assays specific for rodents and non-human primates Including ELISA, IFA, HAI, WB and Reli-Array.

9. Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry (FC) is a procedure used to recognize and gauge the physical and compound attributes of a populace of cells or particles. In this cycle, an example containing cells or particles is suspended in a liquid and infused into the stream cytometer instrument. Stream cytometry is a research center technique used to recognize, distinguish, and check explicit cells. This technique can likewise distinguish specific parts inside cells. This data depends on actual attributes and additionally markers called antigens on the phone surface or inside cells that are special to that phone type.

Here's how associate scientists use flow cytometry:

Authored novel experimental flow cytometry protocols after extensive scientific research and experimentation.
Develop flow cytometry method for the determination of platelet activity.

10. GLP

GLP stands for "good laboratory practice." This refers to the integrity and quality measures that non-clinical laboratories have in place to ensure accurate research and market testing. GLP is most often used in pharmaceutical companies where new drugs must be tested before being approved for sale, but the practice can also be used in food packaging and preparation test centers.

Here's how associate scientists use glp:

Performed routine laboratory assignments in accordance with company SOP's and any other applicable guidelines and regulations including GLP if applicable.
Performed PK, antibody response, soluble antibody detection and saturation assays for clinical and toxicology trials under GLP regulations.

11. Analytical Methods

An analytical method is a method used to determine the chemical or physical property of a substance. It is a procedure to determine the relationship between different variables. This method can be conducted by combining scientific methods with any kind of formal process to solve a problem or prove a fact.

Here's how associate scientists use analytical methods:

Participate in special projects such as laboratory equipment validation, analytical method transfers, process improvements, and document change orders.
Demonstrated success developing, implementing, and executing analytical methods to support the progression of drug research and manufacturing support.

12. Cell-Based Assays

Here's how associate scientists use cell-based assays:

Developed novel cell-based assays allowing for inflammation discovery molecule and disease targets for evaluation for discovery pipeline.
Developed cell-based assays for assessing protein-protein interactions.

13. Chromatography

Chromatography uses a strip of filter paper to separate the various components of a mixture. The filter paper is introduced to a solvent, which then encourages the separation of each mixture. Because different components of the mixture travel at different speeds once introduced to the solvent, a clear separation of components is visible on the filter paper.

Here's how associate scientists use chromatography:

Conducted technology comparison study to assess applicability of a wide range of chromatography products to support specific HTS assays.
Operated HPLC-MS and examined chromatography and spectra results to identify impurities and identify compound fragmentation for technical reports.

14. Technical Reports

Technical reports are a type of document that is used to indicate either the progress, result, or process of scientific research or the state of problems occurring within such research. A technical report may also showcase the report's overall conclusion and may also include recommendations. This kind of report does not require a peer review and isn't published officially but distributed within the organizations where it was formed.

Here's how associate scientists use technical reports:

Completed stability and shelf-life evaluations of new and existing products and reporting results to upper management and in written technical reports.
Authored a variety of technical reports: summary, process design of experiment and registration stability to support regulatory filings.

15. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how associate scientists use excellent interpersonal:

Developed excellent interpersonal skills by interacting with various departments within the research facility.
Team oriented professional with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

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What skills help Associate Scientists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on associate scientist resumes?

Katina Lillios

Professor, Department Chair, The University of Iowa

While the precise skills that are desired depend on the job, there are some that all graduates from an Anthropology program should work on developing. These include experience contributing to group projects, collaborating with diverse communities, strong communication and writing skills, versatility, and mastery of a specialized skill, such as GIS, a foreign language, statistics, and other digital technologies.

What soft skills should all associate scientists possess?

Drew Conroy Ph.D.

Professor of Animal Science and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire

In my UNH CREAM course survey, where 46% of alumni responded on a survey about a course that requires a lot of soft skills, I found that the five highest-ranked interpersonal skills were teamwork, group decision making, oral communication, leadership, and initiative. Alumni strongly agreed that CREAM's experiential strategies were effective, provided an understanding of the dairy industry, and agreed that the flipped classroom approach was an effective teaching strategy. In addition, alumni agreed they were required to problem solve on the farm and that the course had an impact on their career, and the program was recognized by graduate and veterinary schools.

What hard/technical skills are most important for associate scientists?

Drew Conroy Ph.D.

Professor of Animal Science and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire

The above alumni in the CREAM survey ranked these skills as most important in a course where they learned to manage a herd of dairy cattle

What associate scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Scott Johnson

Professor and Director, University of Maine

This would depend on the student's goals. If interested in working in the environmental industry: HAZWOPER training, obtaining a Professional Geologist certification, developing programming skills. The PG can be obtained through self-study to pass the exam; then, the experience is needed to receive official accreditation. HAZWOPER training can be obtained through short courses. Programming skills in many popular languages can be learned online and with freely available material on the internet. I'd also advocate for people getting work experience, if possible. On a general note, computer programming skills, math/physics knowledge, GIS/remote sensing, and UAV training are valuable ways to use a gap year. Students can do these things effectively from anywhere, as long as they have a computer. There are many online options and even apps to improve knowledge in these fields and are needed for what we do.

What type of skills will young associate scientists need?

Dr. Douglas Capone Ph.D.

Professor, University of Southern California

In addition to the essential skill set of an oceanographic discipline (biological, chemical, physical or geological fields) - being adaptable, having a breadth of knowledge and ability to cross disciplinary boundaries and communication skills e.g., the ability to talk to regulators, policymakers, and the general public will all help.

What technical skills for an associate scientist stand out to employers?

Dr. Joey Neilsen

Assistant Professor, Villanova University

I think programming skills and data analysis/statistics are especially valuable right now, while data science is so big. Our students take a year of Computational Physics in Python, and we integrate Python into some of our upper-level courses and labs as well. Our recent graduates, both in academia and the private sector, report using those skills on a regular basis. Two other skills that US Physics graduates report using regularly are technical problem solving and technical writing. This makes lots of sense from an employer perspective: you want to hire people who can identify and solve problems and then clearly explain the solution to your team. This is a great reason to let those lab reports shine!

Do you want to know more?

List of associate scientist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an associate scientist resume and required skills for an associate scientist to have include:

Chemistry
Patients
Cell Culture
Data Analysis
GMP
Lab Equipment
HPLC
Elisa
Flow Cytometry
GLP
Analytical Methods
Cell-Based Assays
Chromatography
Technical Reports
Excellent Interpersonal
Method Development

RNA
QC
Drug Discovery
Excellent Organizational
PowerPoint
Clinical Trials
CRISPR
FDA
Assay Development
Western Blotting
Cell Lines
Graphpad Prism
R
Product Development
Laboratory Practices
Statistical Analysis

Sample Preparation
Extraction
DNA
Lims
Ms
Biomarkers
Next-Generation Sequencing
Immunoassay
Animal Handling
Early Development
PK
Sample Analysis
Data Collection
GC
Electrophoresis
Method Validation

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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