What does a cell biologist do?
A cell biologist specializes in studying cell structures and their interactions with biological organisms. They primarily work at laboratories where their responsibilities usually include conducting extensive research, gathering and analyzing samples through various laboratory procedures, performing experiments, and maintaining detailed records of all operations. Through their research findings, a cell biologist may produce publications or utilize the results for developing pharmaceutical products or treatments. When it comes to employment, a cell biologist may work for government agencies, private or public laboratories, and even teach at colleges or universities.
Cell biologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cell biologist resumes:
- Manage detailed GLP laboratory manual daily.
- Project require review of existing environmental data, identification of permitting requirements, wetland identification/delineation and sensitive and endanger species issues.
- Result in Neuroscience poster presentation.
Cell biologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Cell Biologists are proficient in Molecular Biology, Data Analysis, and Cell-Based Assays.
We break down the percentage of Cell Biologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Molecular Biology, 19%
Used skills in data evaluation and interpretation and practical knowledge of molecular biology analysis software and databases.
- Data Analysis, 14%
Used various statistical applications to perform data analysis and reporting on virus activity and mosquito populations in the city including mapping.
- Cell-Based Assays, 10%
Perform various immunological and cell-based assays to support client research.
- Stem Cells, 9%
Developed an efficient system for culture and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells.
- PCR, 8%
Performed PCR, RFLP, and Short Tandem Repeat analysis on DNA extracted from paraffin embedded lung tumor tissue.
- Tissue Culture, 6%
Accelerated stability studies of biological vaccines * Laboratory Skills utilized: -Viral titrations, ELISA, tissue culture -Protein purification AKTAexplorer FPLC
Common skills that a cell biologist uses to do their job include "molecular biology," "data analysis," and "cell-based assays." You can find details on the most important cell biologist responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a cell biologist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what cell biologists do because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Additionally, a cell biologist resume shows how cell biologists use communication skills: "maintained open lines of communication with multiple departments, collaborating on study designs and issues. "
Observation skills. Another essential skill to perform cell biologist duties is observation skills. Cell biologists responsibilities require that "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." Cell biologists also use observation skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "used trimble gps to geographically tag all burrow locations, tortoise observations and any sensitive species seen in the area. "
The three companies that hire the most cell biologists are:
- Biogen2 cell biologists jobs
- Corning Incorporated2 cell biologists jobs
- Eli Lilly and Company2 cell biologists jobs
Compare different cell biologists
Cell biologist vs. Fish culture supervisor
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, cell biologist responsibilities require skills like "molecular biology," "data analysis," "cell-based assays," and "media preparation." Meanwhile a typical fish culture supervisor has skills in areas such as "payroll," "customer service," "performance evaluations," and "cultural events." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, fish culture supervisors reach lower levels of education than cell biologists. Fish culture supervisors are 15.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 9.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cell biologist vs. Fish culture technician
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that cell biologist responsibilities requires skills like "molecular biology," "data analysis," "cell-based assays," and "media preparation." But a fish culture technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "lab equipment," "data entry," "water quality," and "oversight."
Fish culture technicians earn similar levels of education than cell biologists in general. They're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 9.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for cell biologists in the next 3-5 years?
John Turbeville Ph.D.
Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs/Director of Career Services, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Cell biologist vs. Aquatic scientist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cell biologists are more likely to have skills like "molecular biology," "data analysis," "cell-based assays," and "media preparation." But a aquatic scientist is more likely to have skills like "statistical analyses," "gis," "water act," and "npdes."
Most aquatic scientists achieve a similar degree level compared to cell biologists. For example, they're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 12.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cell biologist vs. Research fisheries biologist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between cell biologists and research fisheries biologists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a cell biologist might have more use for skills like "molecular biology," "cell-based assays," "media preparation," and "stem cells." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of research fisheries biologists require skills like "research projects," "noaa," "conduct research," and "gps. "
Research fisheries biologists reach higher levels of education compared to cell biologists, in general. The difference is that they're 8.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of cell biologist
Updated January 8, 2025
