What companies hire biochemists?

Companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and food and beverage industries hire biochemists . These companies are interested in hiring biochemists because of their expertise in research, development, and quality control. Top companies that hire biochemists include:

How To Become A Biochemist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a biochemist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

A biochemist studies the chemical composition of living organisms such as cells, plants, animals, and humans. This includes biological processes, genetics, organism growth, and disease. He/She is responsible for planning complex research projects, designing relevant experiments, and developing studies to improve research and experimentation. These studies revolve around the effects of drugs, hormones, or nutrients on a specific biological organism. Also, they operate all relevant lab equipment, prepare samples and solutions, check laboratory inventory and reorder as necessary. Additionally, they document and communicate findings through research papers and conference presentations.

To become a biochemist, you need a minimum of a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field. You must be familiar with laboratory testing, data analysis and interpretation, and safety procedures. You must possess problem-solving, project management, attention to detail, analytical, communication, and computer skills. Biochemists earn an average salary of $63,655 per annum. This varies from $41,000 to $99,000.

What general advice would you give to a biochemist?

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.

ScoreBiochemistUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $72,910

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 17.33%

Black or African American 2.67%

Hispanic or Latino 7.45%

Unknown 5.12%

White 66.79%

Gender

female 45.95%

male 54.05%

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

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a biochemist

Explore biochemist education requirements

Most common biochemist degrees

Bachelor's

74.2 %

Master's

15.7 %

Doctorate

5.7 %

Start to develop specific biochemist skills

Skills	Percentages
Chemistry	16.69%
Immunoassay	8.62%
Elisa	6.94%
GMP	5.40%
Data Analysis	5.33%

Complete relevant biochemist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New biochemists 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 a biochemist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real biochemist resumes.

Research biochemist duties and responsibilities

Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
Design fit-for-purpose assays to track various peptide biomarkers in support of clinical studies.
Determine serotype of putative viral infections in clinical samples utilizing RNA extraction and RT-PCR sequencing techniques.
Provide early involvement and target support for clinical identification of biomarkers involving gene expression profiling, proteomics, and immunohistochemistry.

Prepare your biochemist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your biochemist 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 biochemist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable biochemist resume templates

Build a professional biochemist 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 biochemist resume.