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

What is a chemist scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

Chemist scientists work in laboratories researching different formations of atoms and molecules that determine the properties of various types of matter. They conduct experiments to gain insight into the behavior and reactions of substances, research new compounds, and their possible usage. They document their processes and write articles on their findings to publish in scientific journals.

You might specialize in various areas working as a chemist. From neurochemistry to biochemistry, nuclear chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, or theoretical chemistry, the options are numerous. You might have a career in academia, work for criminal investigations, product licensing, or agriculture, just to name a few.

A master's degree or a Ph.D. in chemistry is often required of scientists filling these roles. You need a comprehensive set of scientific knowledge, combining biology, mathematics, and physics along with chemistry, as research in these areas often overlap. Beyond scientific skills, though, your most important asset will be your passion for knowledge. Working as a chemist scientist will earn you $62,680 a year on average.

What general advice would you give to a chemist scientist?

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 ScientistUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,078

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 20.53%

Black or African American 7.59%

Hispanic or Latino 9.27%

Unknown 4.55%

White 57.82%

Gender

female 36.72%

male 63.28%

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 scientist

Explore chemist scientist education requirements

Most common chemist scientist degrees

Bachelor's

73.6 %

Master's

18.2 %

Doctorate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific chemist scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
HPLC	8.24%
UV/Vis	6.56%
R	6.18%
FDA	6.13%
NMR	5.73%

Complete relevant chemist scientist training and internships

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

Research chemist scientist duties and responsibilities

Assume larger role in managing ELISA plate trials to establish optimal antigen dilutions for large-scale plate jobs.
Continue role in managing ELISA plate trials to select proper antigen coating factors for large-scale plate jobs.
Conduct testing on raw material and on in process samples by conducting IR, UV/VIS, KF moisture, quantitative titrations.
Involve in several ongoing projects to develop methods for HPLC, GPC, GC, GC-MS, FT-IR and other techniques.

Prepare your chemist scientist resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable chemist scientist resume templates

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