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What does a biotechnologist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
Professor Susan Bergeson
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Biotechnologist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real biotechnologist resumes:

  • Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
  • Perform standard PCR assays for research group.
  • Purify enzymes using gravity, low pressure liquid chromatography, and AKTA FPLC.
  • Participate in semi-annual proficiency testing for forensic casework (CTS) and proficiency testing for engraftment monitoring (ASHI).
  • Quantify the final product form using solvent extraction and normal phase HPLC.
  • Maintain documentation and batch records in accordance with ISO and CE-IVD regulations.
  • Maintain complete/accurate documentation of production and testing results in accordance with FDA regulations.
  • Conduct ELISA method development/optimization/validation for transgenic proteins for regulatory studies/submissions.
  • Conduct ELISA method development/optimization/validation for transgenic proteins for regulatory studies/submissions.

Biotechnologist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 23% of Biotechnologists are proficient in R, GMP, and DNA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Technical skills, Communication skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Biotechnologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • R, 23%

    Maintained lab in compliance with standard operating procedures; Aided R &D Lab in testing filters for NASA.

  • GMP, 13%

    Led and executed Pilot and Engineering Runs; and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) commissioning of upstream processes.

  • DNA, 13%

    Performed all the laboratory functions for the maintenance/operation of six ABI 377 DNA sequencers.

  • PCR, 12%

    Collaborated with sequencing lab to obtain real time PCR analysis to evaluate potential regulatory effects or instability in gene copy number.

  • Assays, 10%

    Executed three different assays on prostate cancer, HPV and CTNG - Prostate Cancer Antigen gene 3 (PCA3).

  • Extraction, 10%

    Quantified the final product formed using solvent extraction and normal phase HPLC.

"r," "gmp," and "dna" are among the most common skills that biotechnologists use at work. You can find even more biotechnologist responsibilities below, including:

Technical skills. One of the key soft skills for a biotechnologist to have is technical skills. You can see how this relates to what biotechnologists do because "biological technicians need to set up and operate sophisticated equipment and instruments." Additionally, a biotechnologist resume shows how biotechnologists use technical skills: "prepared technical reports for fda filings and presented data at meetings. "

Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling biotechnologist duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "biological technicians must understand and follow the instructions of their managing scientists." According to a biotechnologist resume, here's how biotechnologists can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "maintain communication, both oral and written, with key people about test results and various other job aspects. "

Analytical skills. This is an important skill for biotechnologists to perform their duties. For an example of how biotechnologist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "biological technicians need to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a biotechnologist: "provided analytical support for nih-sponsored project aimed at isolation of mrna from mouse brain tissue. ".

All biotechnologist skills

The three companies that hire the most biotechnologists are:

Compare different biotechnologists

Biotechnologist vs. Research associate

A research associate is responsible for assisting the research team, organizing and interpreting findings, and verifying information before presenting the study to the board. Research associates duties also include gathering and comparing data from multiple sources, analyzing the current industry trends, creating draft outlines for reports, collecting individual contacts for interview purposes, and helping with the development of research procedures. A research associate must have excellent time-management skills and ability to multi-task, especially on meeting strict deadlines and conducting studies.

The annual salary of research associates is $6,006 higher than the average salary of biotechnologists.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between biotechnologists and research associates are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like r, gmp, and dna.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, biotechnologist responsibilities require skills like "pcr," "clinical lab," "assays," and "molecular techniques." Meanwhile a typical research associate has skills in areas such as "patients," "research projects," "data analysis," and "data collection." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Research associates tend to reach lower levels of education than biotechnologists. In fact, research associates are 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 9.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Biotechnologist vs. Laboratory internship

A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results. They must have excellent knowledge of scientific procedures, demonstrating their class learnings to practical applications. A laboratory intern must be detail-oriented, especially on conducting and verifying the accuracy of research materials. It is also required for a laboratory intern to be a fast-learner, understanding the scientific complexities to master various approaches.

Laboratory internship positions earn lower pay than biotechnologist roles. They earn a $18,855 lower salary than biotechnologists per year.A few skills overlap for biotechnologists and laboratory interns. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "r," "gmp," and "dna. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real biotechnologist resumes. While biotechnologist responsibilities can utilize skills like "pcr," "clinical lab," "assays," and "extraction," laboratory interns use skills like "lab procedures," "chemistry," "python," and "c++."

In general, laboratory interns achieve lower levels of education than biotechnologists. They're 19.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 9.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for biotechnologists in the next 3-5 years?

Professor Susan Bergeson

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Personalized medicine and better drug delivery have been, and will likely continue to be, areas of active research for the next decade. Honing specialized skills and advancing your knowledge of a broad spectrum of disease processes will likely pay dividends.

Biotechnologist vs. Research and development technician

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.

On average, research and development technicians earn higher salaries than biotechnologists, with a $29,392 difference per year.By looking over several biotechnologists and research and development technicians resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "r," "gmp," and "iso." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from biotechnologist resumes include skills like "dna," "pcr," "clinical lab," and "assays," whereas a research and development technician is more likely to list skills in "project management," "product management," "product development," and "digital transformation. "

Most research and development technicians achieve a lower degree level compared to biotechnologists. For example, they're 15.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Biotechnologist vs. Research technician

A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination. A research technician must have strong analytical and scientific knowledge, as well as a passion for research writing and investigations crucial for this kind of industry.

Research technicians typically earn lower pay than biotechnologists. On average, research technicians earn a $11,126 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, biotechnologists and research technicians both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "r," "gmp," and "extraction. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "dna," "pcr," "clinical lab," and "assays" are skills that commonly show up on biotechnologist resumes. On the other hand, research technicians use skills like patients, data collection, cell culture, and laboratory equipment on their resumes.The average resume of research technicians showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to biotechnologists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 15.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Types of biotechnologist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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