How To Become A Chemistry Research Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chemistry research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chemistry research assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.51 an hour? That's $55,140 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 7,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a chemistry research assistant?

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.

ScoreChemistry Research AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $55,140

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.04%

Asian 16.56%

Black or African American 8.66%

Hispanic or Latino 15.42%

Unknown 6.03%

White 52.30%

Gender

female 42.98%

male 57.02%

Age - 35

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 - 35

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chemistry research assistant

Explore chemistry research assistant education requirements

Most common chemistry research assistant degrees

Bachelor's

80.4 %

Master's

7.3 %

Associate

6.4 %

Start to develop specific chemistry research assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Lab Notebook	10.30%
Laboratory Equipment	9.99%
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance	8.70%
Organic Synthesis	8.07%
Column Chromatography	4.82%

Complete relevant chemistry research assistant training and internships

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

Research chemistry research assistant duties and responsibilities

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Characterize magnitude and longevity of treatments using SEM, contact angle, FTIR, ATR/FTIR, and bubble point measurements.
Experience with ICP-OES, GFAAS, XRD and GC-MS instrumentation.
Analyse synthesis products via GC-MS and H1NMR.

Prepare your chemistry research assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable chemistry research assistant resume templates

Build a professional chemistry research assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your chemistry research assistant resume.

Apply for chemistry research assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a chemistry research assistant 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

Average chemistry research assistant salary

The average chemistry research assistant salary in the United States is $55,140 per year or $27 per hour. Chemistry research assistant salaries range between $33,000 and $91,000 per year.

Average chemistry research assistant salary

$55,140 Yearly

$26.51 hourly

How do chemistry research assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Chemistry research assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

None

What is a chemistry research assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a chemistry research assistant?

Chemistry research assistant career paths

Key steps to become a chemistry research assistant

Explore chemistry research assistant education requirements

Most common chemistry research assistant degrees

Start to develop specific chemistry research assistant skills

Complete relevant chemistry research assistant training and internships

Research chemistry research assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your chemistry research assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable chemistry research assistant resume templates

Apply for chemistry research assistant jobs

How did you land your first chemistry research assistant job

Average chemistry research assistant salary

How do chemistry research assistants rate their job?

Chemistry research assistant reviews