How To Become A Chemist Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chemist lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

A chemist usually heads a team of chemists on a specific project or task. Depending on the setting, the lead chemist may perform administrative tasks along with their chemist duties.

A day in the life of a lead chemist involves performing research, preparing compounds, creating reports of findings, and presenting findings to other colleagues. They may also supervise the work of team members and assign tasks to them. If a lab technician is on the team, the chemist lead may also oversee their activities.

In some settings, a lead chemist may also be responsible for procuring equipment and supervising its care.

To become a lead chemist, you'll need a degree in chemistry or relevant fields. Employers favor advanced degrees and years of experience when filling this role. Skills like problem-solving and critical thinking are also an advantage.

What general advice would you give to a chemist lead?

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.

ScoreChemist LeadUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,663

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 18.23%

Black or African American 7.80%

Hispanic or Latino 9.36%

Unknown 4.58%

White 59.79%

Gender

female 34.80%

male 65.20%

Age - 40

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 - 40

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chemist lead

Explore chemist lead education requirements

Most common chemist lead degrees

Bachelor's

81.3 %

Master's

10.2 %

Doctorate

4.7 %

Start to develop specific chemist lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Laboratory Instruments	12.82%
Analytical Methods	6.62%
R	6.12%
Method Development	5.32%
Lab Equipment	4.53%

Complete relevant chemist lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chemist leads 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 chemist lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chemist lead resumes.

Research chemist lead duties and responsibilities

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Ensure FDA and ISO certification due to attention to detail.
Prepare testing protocols for raw materials, finish products, and APIs utilizing classical wet chemistry and HPLC techniques.
Use LIMS system to input data.

Get chemist lead experience

Prepare your chemist lead resume

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

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