How To Become A Chemical Research Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chemical research engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chemical research engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $45.58 an hour? That's $94,803 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 3,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a chemical research engineer?

Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Chemical engineers are sought after by a wide range of companies, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, nuclear and other power generation industries, delicate and heavy chemicals, and environmental protection, to name a few. It will help if you are looking to work for a company that allows them to narrow your focus on the area of chemical engineering that interests you the most. During this uncertain time of the pandemic, we may not be seeing as many as job opportunities as we would like to see. However, it is also true that local recruiters are looking to hire people from within the state to avoid any complications due to travel. So, looking for opportunities within the country is a good option. When it comes to job applications, persistence is the key. Don't get discouraged if you don't hear back after five applications; sometimes, it takes more than fifty applications before you land a job. If your plan includes graduate studies, this may also be a good time to do that.

ScoreChemical Research EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,803

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 21.79%

Black or African American 3.50%

Hispanic or Latino 9.07%

Unknown 5.60%

White 59.66%

Gender

female 30.06%

male 69.94%

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

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chemical research engineer

Explore chemical research engineer education requirements

Most common chemical research engineer degrees

Bachelor's

71.3 %

Master's

11.8 %

Doctorate

9.6 %

Start to develop specific chemical research engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Chemical Engineering	35.39%
Synthesis	15.68%
R	5.93%
Analytical Methods	5.84%
Chemical Processes	5.70%

Complete relevant chemical research engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chemical research engineers 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 chemical research engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chemical research engineer resumes.

Research chemical research engineer duties and responsibilities

Prepare research proposals for the synthesis of small molecules to attain designate department goals.
Support projects with detail analysis including SEM, spectroscopy, etc.
Observe modified surfaces of nanofibrils cellulose with scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Synthesize and characterize colloidal room-temperature ferromagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.

Apply for chemical research engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a chemical research engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams