What does a chemistry laboratory assistant do?
Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.
Chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real chemistry laboratory assistant resumes:
- Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
- Prepare buffer solutions, separate DNA, dissect baby mice, and perform general lab procedures.
- Facilitate placement and organization of equipment for new laboratory including HPLC, GC-MS, UV-VIS, and DSC.
- Maintain GC/FID, GC/MS and LC/MS systems.
- Purify total RNA out of scallop muscle tissue.
- Maintain proper records and documentation of DNA sequencing products.
- Perform dilution, titration, and making of specific chemicals used as reagents.
- Used PCR to find genetic differences between different lettuce plants grown at different temperatures
- Work with a HPLC and GC, prepare solutions, and set up experiments for the laboratory classes.
- Assist with stem cell research involving influenza vaccine, prepare cell cultures and cell samples for quantitative PCR.
- Prepare plant root and leaf tissue for proteomic and metabolic analyses including RNA extraction, purification and quantification.
- Reduce work load on primary instructor by cleaning glassware, helping students with experiments, and NMR / IR data processing.
- Prepare solutions and determine concentrations via titration.
- Perform fraction distillation, crystallization, and chromatography.
- Clean and reorganize chemistry stockroom shelves and inventory.
Chemistry laboratory assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 39% of Chemistry Laboratory Assistants are proficient in Lab Equipment, Lab Safety, and Chemistry Lab. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Interpersonal skills, and Observation skills.
We break down the percentage of Chemistry Laboratory Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lab Equipment, 39%
Work study position-Prepare experiments-Clean lab equipment and dilute and dispose of chemicals properly-Assist professors as needed-Maintain proper Safety Data Sheets
- Lab Safety, 13%
Trained and managed lab safety protocols when needed
- Chemistry Lab, 6%
Assisted in the maintenance and organization of the chemistry stockroom and in the preparation of introduction and general chemistry laboratory experiments.
- Lab Experiments, 4%
Aided students in understanding laboratory procedures, troubleshooting lab experiments, and understanding chemical processes
- Lab Reports, 3%
Provided assistance with laboratory techniques and procedures Develop concentrated solutions Held weekly office hours to provide feedback on lab reports
- Analytical Chemistry, 2%
Assisted senior faculty members with lab instruction in Inorganic, Organic, Physical, and Analytical Chemistry.
Most chemistry laboratory assistants use their skills in "lab equipment," "lab safety," and "chemistry lab" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. Many chemistry laboratory assistant duties rely on interpersonal skills. "chemical technicians must work well as part of a team that often includes scientists, engineers, and other technicians.," so a chemistry laboratory assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "can place iv's maintain good communication skills; displays good judgment strong customer service and interpersonal skills. "
Analytical skills. A commonly-found skill in chemistry laboratory assistant job descriptions, "analytical skills" is essential to what chemistry laboratory assistants do. Chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "chemical technicians must be methodical in conducting scientific experiments and interpreting data." You can also see how chemistry laboratory assistant duties rely on analytical skills in this resume example: "prepared chemical solution used for organic and quantitative analysis experiments. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what a chemistry laboratory assistant does. Chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities require this skill because "chemical technicians must explain their work to scientists and engineers or to workers who may not have a technical background." This resume example highlights how chemistry laboratory assistant duties rely on this skill: "provide excellent patient care through all forms of communication. "
The three companies that hire the most chemistry laboratory assistants are:
- Laramie County Community College5 chemistry laboratory assistants jobs
- Newton-Wellesley Hospital
2 chemistry laboratory assistants jobs
- PSEA2 chemistry laboratory assistants jobs
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Compare different chemistry laboratory assistants
Chemistry laboratory assistant vs. Microbiologist
Microbiologists are responsible for studying the microscopic organisms causing infections and environmental damage, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Their work focuses on the identification and growth of these microbes to better understand their characteristics that may help in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious and bacterial diseases. They use sophisticated technologies and machinery to study microbes and perform their tasks. These scientists are also responsible for developing best practices and techniques for routine sampling and research. Microbiologists may work in various settings, including laboratories, research institutes, and hospitals.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities require skills like "lab safety," "chemistry lab," "lab experiments," and "lab reports." Meanwhile a typical microbiologist has skills in areas such as "microbiology lab," "environmental monitoring," "test methods," and "gmp." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Microbiologists tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $57,911. In contrast, chemistry laboratory assistants make the biggest average salary, $37,906, in the education industry.microbiologists tend to reach higher levels of education than chemistry laboratory assistants. In fact, microbiologists are 8.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Chemistry laboratory assistant vs. Associate scientist
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, chemistry laboratory assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "lab safety," "chemistry lab," "lab experiments," and "lab reports." Meanwhile, an associate scientist has duties that require skills in areas such as "chemistry," "patients," "cell culture," and "data analysis." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Associate scientists earn a higher average salary than chemistry laboratory assistants. But associate scientists earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $80,987. Additionally, chemistry laboratory assistants earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $37,906 annually.associate scientists earn higher levels of education than chemistry laboratory assistants in general. They're 12.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for chemistry laboratory assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Bryan Spiegelberg Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Molecular Sciences, Rider University
Chemistry laboratory assistant vs. Quality control
As the name entails, the job of a quality control inspector is to inspect, maintain, and improve the quality and standard of products. They are responsible for ensuring the company's reputation is not damaged due to defective products or inferior manufacturing processes. This can be done by detecting and resolving the problem early on, and returning the product for repair. A quality control inspector should also notify the supervisors immediately when issues arise and coordinate with them to address the problem.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, chemistry laboratory assistants are more likely to have skills like "lab equipment," "lab safety," "chemistry lab," and "lab experiments." But a quality control is more likely to have skills like "quality checks," "product quality," "laboratory equipment," and "quality standards."
Quality controls earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $36,096. Chemistry laboratory assistants earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $37,906.Most quality controls achieve a similar degree level compared to chemistry laboratory assistants. For example, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chemistry laboratory assistant 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.
Types of chemistry laboratory assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
