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

What is an associate staff scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andrew Riquier Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an associate staff scientist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $42.69 an hour? That's $88,792 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 17% and produce 20,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an associate staff scientist?

Andrew Riquier Ph.D.

Instructor, University of Nebraska - Omaha

Apply for the positions you want, even if you feel underqualified. I know plenty of people who have applied for jobs they didn't quite meet the requirements for, and got hired for other reasons. In my experience, many recent graduates choose to take time to strengthen their resumes by retaking classes, working jobs they don't particularly want to get experience, etc. There is some value in that, particularly if you have been unsuccessful attaining the position you want, or if you want to see if you even enjoy that type of work. But if you are confident in what you want to do, go for it; in the worst-case scenario, you are in the same position you would be if you hadn't applied, but now you have experience applying and have potentially gained a contact in the field.

ScoreAssociate Staff ScientistUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $88,792

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.42%

Black or African American 6.33%

Hispanic or Latino 9.56%

Unknown 4.09%

White 53.46%

Gender

female 43.94%

male 56.06%

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 staff scientist

Explore associate staff scientist education requirements

Most common associate staff scientist degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Doctorate

27.9 %

Master's

14.8 %

Start to develop specific associate staff scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
FDA	67.89%
Sops	7.87%
Cellular Assays	7.56%
DNA	6.44%
Data Collection	5.38%

Complete relevant associate staff scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate staff 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 staff scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate staff scientist resumes.

Research associate staff scientist duties and responsibilities

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Process client samples requiring DNA purification and DNA characterization.
Perform sequencing and real time PCR.
Conduct research on global regulatory networks using mutagenesis and DNA microarray techniques.

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