What does a biology laboratory technician do?
A biological technician assists medical and biological scientists in conducting laboratory experiments and tests. As a biological technician, you will perform a variety of tasks that include setting up, maintaining, and cleaning laboratory equipment and instruments such as test tubes and microscopes, collecting and preparing biological samples, and analyzing experimental data, and interpreting results. In addition, you will assist medical scientists by administering new treatments and medicines to laboratory animals. You will also perform different techniques such as specimen staining to aid identification.
Biology laboratory technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real biology laboratory technician resumes:
- Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
- Prepare media and reagents necessary for microbiological and electrophoresis analysis.
- Carry out highly complex pharmaceutical and biotechnology studies while maintaining strong relationships with clients and upholding federal regulations for FDA approval.
- Design and implement vegetation survey using GPS and GIS; collect and analyze data for reports.
- Record the amount of plant cover, GPS coordinates and environmental conditions in a journal for different sampling plots.
- Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Biology laboratory technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Biology Laboratory Technicians are proficient in Lab Equipment, Molecular Biology, and Chemistry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Observational skills, Technical skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Biology Laboratory Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lab Equipment, 12%
Maintained and cleaned glassware and lab equipment; prepared bacterial culture media used for Microbiology
- Molecular Biology, 6%
Managed the molecular biology lab and oversaw the upkeep of laboratory equipment.
- Chemistry, 5%
Set up and maintained Biology, Biotechnology, Anatomy, Microbiology and Chemistry labs for instructors/students.
- Laboratory Procedures, 4%
Developed and modified laboratory procedures.
- Biology Lab, 4%
Maintained bacterial cultures, prepared media and set up for microbiology labs Supervised work study students
- Cell Culture, 4%
Followed established protocols for the maintenance and testing of cell cultures and preparation of products.
Most biology laboratory technicians use their skills in "lab equipment," "molecular biology," and "chemistry" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential biology laboratory technician responsibilities here:
Observational skills. The most essential soft skill for a biology laboratory technician to carry out their responsibilities is observational skills. This skill is important for the role because "biological technicians must constantly monitor their experiments." Additionally, a biology laboratory technician resume shows how their duties depend on observational skills: "set up computer lab systems construct low lighting device for astronomy observational deck"
Technical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling biology laboratory technician duties is technical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "biological technicians need to set up and operate sophisticated equipment and instruments." According to a biology laboratory technician resume, here's how biology laboratory technicians can utilize technical skills in their job responsibilities: "evaluate research data, maintain accurate records, prepare technical reports and papers. "
Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of biology laboratory technicians is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday biology laboratory technician duties, as "biological technicians need to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed pcr analysis and gel electrophoresis. "
Communication skills. biology laboratory technician responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "biological technicians must understand and follow the instructions of their managing scientists." This resume example shows what biology laboratory technicians do with communication skills on a typical day: "centrifuge blood samples - perform customer communications and reagent inventory control process. "
The three companies that hire the most biology laboratory technicians are:
- University of Rochester1 biology laboratory technicians jobs
- California Institute of Technology1 biology laboratory technicians jobs
- West Virginia University1 biology laboratory technicians jobs
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Compare different biology laboratory technicians
Biology laboratory technician vs. Fishery observer
A research and development technician specializes in performing mathematical and laboratory operations to support projects concerning products and development. Usually functioning as an assistant to a more experienced researcher, a research and development technician's responsibilities revolve around conducting analysis, building models and prototypes, producing reports, and performing various experiments. Furthermore, as a technician, it is crucial to coordinate with all team members, keeping an accurate record of all processes while adhering to the company's standards and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a biology laboratory technician are more likely to require skills like "lab equipment," "molecular biology," "chemistry," and "laboratory procedures." On the other hand, a job as a fishery observer requires skills like "vessel safety," "biological data," "fisheries management," and "nmfs." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that fishery observers earn slightly differ from biology laboratory technicians. In particular, fishery observers are 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a biology laboratory technician. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Biology laboratory technician vs. Research assistant, chemistry department
Each career also uses different skills, according to real biology laboratory technician resumes. While biology laboratory technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "chemistry," "laboratory procedures," "biology lab," and "animal handling," research assistants, chemistry department use skills like "nmr," "sem," "laboratory equipment," and "tem."
Research assistants, chemistry department earn similar levels of education than biology laboratory technicians in general. They're 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Biology laboratory technician vs. Biological science aid
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a biology laboratory technician is likely to be skilled in "lab equipment," "chemistry," "laboratory procedures," and "biology lab," while a typical biological science aid is skilled in "laboratory equipment," "greenhouse," "gps," and "insect."
Most biological science aids achieve a similar degree level compared to biology laboratory technicians. For example, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Biology laboratory technician vs. Research and development technician
Types of biology laboratory technician
Updated January 8, 2025
