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

What is a clinical research scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

Clinical research scientists work in laboratories and conduct medical research, working towards finding more secure ways of diagnosing and treating diseases. They might work for various organizations, such as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, universities, or government agencies.

A clinical research scientist studies bacteria and diseases using specialized equipment, sometimes sampling and analyzing materials that might be hazardous. They work in a highly regulated environment and must adhere to strict safety measures while dealing with work that requires long stretches of undivided focus and attention to detail.

They are responsible for documenting processes and recording results that will be used to draw conclusions related to investigated matters. They work in a team and sometimes interact with patients when carrying out test treatments, so communication skills are important in this career.

What general advice would you give to a clinical research 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.

ScoreClinical Research ScientistUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $99,160

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 13.45%

Black or African American 2.47%

Hispanic or Latino 13.95%

Unknown 7.43%

White 62.19%

Gender

female 64.60%

male 35.40%

Age - 43.5

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 - 43.5

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clinical research scientist

Explore clinical research scientist education requirements

Most common clinical research scientist degrees

Bachelor's

58.5 %

Doctorate

18.6 %

Master's

18.0 %

Start to develop specific clinical research scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Clinical Research	11.05%
Clinical Trials	6.75%
Clinical Development	5.89%
Data Management	5.14%
Oncology	4.61%

Complete relevant clinical research scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical research 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 clinical research scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical research scientist resumes.

Research clinical research scientist duties and responsibilities

Supervise and manage planning, implementation, conduct and reporting of assign early phase international clinical studies in oncology.
Facilitate IRB approval, when require.
Compile and submit reports to U.S. FDA.
Provide draft responses to FDA questions to senior management.

Prepare your clinical research scientist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical research 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 clinical research 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 clinical research scientist resume templates

Build a professional clinical research scientist 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 clinical research scientist resume.

Apply for clinical research scientist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a clinical research scientist 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 clinical research scientist salary

The average clinical research scientist salary in the United States is $99,160 per year or $48 per hour. Clinical research scientist salaries range between $63,000 and $154,000 per year.

Average clinical research scientist salary

$99,160 Yearly

$47.67 hourly

What is a clinical research scientist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a clinical research scientist?

Clinical research scientist career paths

Key steps to become a clinical research scientist

Explore clinical research scientist education requirements

Most common clinical research scientist degrees

Start to develop specific clinical research scientist skills

Complete relevant clinical research scientist training and internships

Research clinical research scientist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your clinical research scientist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical research scientist resume templates

Apply for clinical research scientist jobs

How did you land your first clinical research scientist job

Average clinical research scientist salary

How do clinical research scientists rate their job?