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Contract scientist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted experts
Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.,
Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical contract scientist skills. We ranked the top skills for contract scientists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.0% of contract scientist resumes contained technical reports as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a contract scientist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 contract scientist skills for your resume and career

1. Technical Reports

Technical reports are a type of document that is used to indicate either the progress, result, or process of scientific research or the state of problems occurring within such research. A technical report may also showcase the report's overall conclusion and may also include recommendations. This kind of report does not require a peer review and isn't published officially but distributed within the organizations where it was formed.

Here's how contract scientists use technical reports:
  • Author, editor, and reviewer of regulatory documents, departmental technical reports, and journal submissions.
  • Maintained timely review and verification of laboratory notebooks and technical reports in compliance with appropriate internal SOP and regulatory requirements.

2. HPLC

Here's how contract scientists use hplc:
  • Skilled in HPLC (Waters), phosphor imaging, and liquid scintillation to analyze and report on experimental samples generated.
  • Use Empower to create instrument methods, processing methods and troubleshoot HPLC and UPLC instruments.

3. Chemistry

Chemistry is the branch of science that tells us about the composition, properties, and structure of elements and compounds. The processes these elements undergo and how they undergo change all come under the branch of chemistry.

Here's how contract scientists use chemistry:
  • Completed a proprietary research project in photo-electric chemistry.
  • Presented chemistry of current and future targets at team meetings.

4. Data Analysis

Here's how contract scientists use data analysis:
  • Developed new protocols for drug screening in cell based assay and performed data analysis.
  • Performed data analysis and interpreted data to advance the development of biotherapeutic drugs.

5. Analytical Methods

An analytical method is a method used to determine the chemical or physical property of a substance. It is a procedure to determine the relationship between different variables. This method can be conducted by combining scientific methods with any kind of formal process to solve a problem or prove a fact.

Here's how contract scientists use analytical methods:
  • Validated analytical methods for product transfers to ensure accurate analytical results.
  • Utilized and implemented analytical methods and biophysical characterization techniques for in-process check to ensure protein purity/identification/functionality and nucleic acid purity/identification.

6. Western Blotting

Here's how contract scientists use western blotting:
  • Performed antigen identification testing by Western blotting.
  • Practiced various laboratory techniques such as PCR, Western Blotting, and FACS.

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7. Electrophoresis

Here's how contract scientists use electrophoresis:
  • Developed assays to detect residual complement activity Performed SDS-PAGE and acid urea gel electrophoresis.
  • Develop and optimize 2D electrophoresis assays to support the impurity profile for all products.

8. Laboratory Equipment

Here's how contract scientists use laboratory equipment:
  • Monitor, troubleshoots and maintains laboratory equipment and instrumentation.
  • Managed maintenance/upgrades of laboratory equipment.

9. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how contract scientists use r:
  • Identified systematic errors in electronic medical record using a combination of SQL queries and R visualizations.
  • Created and validated R based automated analysis scripts for quality control release of manufactured materials.

10. Elisa

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or ELISA is an examination or test to measure and detect a person's specific antigen, antibodies, and protein. This type of test will identify if the sample component is infected with a relative disease or condition such as HIV infection, anemia, Zika Virus, and Lyme disease with just a single experiment.

Here's how contract scientists use elisa:
  • Experienced scientist in standardizing ELISA assays for existing and synthetic molecules in cancer therapy for Personalized Drug Management.
  • Developed and tested ELISA based diagnostic assay to detect carcinogenic viral infection in human.

11. Assay Development

Assay development is a process in molecular biology to test or measure the activity of a drug or biochemical substance in an organic sample or organism and to screen putative compounds to determine the interaction and/or modification of the target. The aim is to standardize the assay and to be able to use it repeatedly and reproducibly.

Here's how contract scientists use assay development:
  • Second messager assay developmentnt to test functional potency of therapeutic compounds, and develop high throughput assay for screening campaigns.
  • Assisted in assay development/evaluation of potential small molecule drug targets and in the assessment of potential oncology therapeutics.

12. Vaccines

Here's how contract scientists use vaccines:
  • Designed and performed cell-based assay for developing non-animal assay methodologies in order to evaluate new vaccines or their antisera.

13. Laboratory Notebook

Here's how contract scientists use laboratory notebook:
  • Maintain a laboratory notebook with contemporaneous notes and results.
  • Maintain a laboratory notebook and complete all laboratory documentation in clear and accurate language and according to SOP.

14. Method Development

Here's how contract scientists use method development:
  • Facilitated method development for sample preparation and analysis.
  • Integrate technology advancement into daily use: Tecan automation utilities, Gyros method development, and kinetic assessment using Octet.

15. QC

Quality control is a set of instructions or procedures to ensure a manufactured product or a service is up to the highest quality standards. This set of quality control criteria are either defined by the clients or the company itself.

Here's how contract scientists use qc:
  • Reduced QC Laboratory expenses via economic procurement of parts and supplies and performing in-house repairs and calibrations.
  • Adhere to laboratory quality control policies, document all QC activities, instrument and procedural calibration and instrument maintenance.
top-skills

What skills help Contract Scientists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on contract scientist resumes?

Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Dual Degree Engineering, Meredith College

When I help students revise their resumes, I have them focus on transferable skills that they gained through their experiences. It may not necessarily be what students do that is important to companies, but their learned experience that students can take and apply in their new job. Students need to add a metric to their descriptions and how they have made an impact on a project, a job position, an organization, etc.

What soft skills should all contract scientists possess?

Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Dual Degree Engineering, Meredith College

From what I've heard (from employers), companies look for employees that they can work with. I know that sounds silly, but companies want employees that are team players and work well with other individuals and in groups. These employees also need to work independently when asked to work on a project. They need to be organized, reliable, and trustworthy. Employees also need to be able to communicate well by writing and speaking. They must be able to follow directions.

What hard/technical skills are most important for contract scientists?

Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Dual Degree Engineering, Meredith College

This one is tough because it depends on the position! I think what is valuable for a chemist is being knowledgeable of working with instrumentation such as chromatography and mass spectrometry. Employees that are likely more attractive for a job position than another person have had the independent experience of working with instruments and can troubleshoot problems. Employees need to be able to explain the data that they obtained from an experiment and describe what the data mean. (Data is a plural term!) Problem-solving and critical thinking is very important for scientists.

What contract scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Scott Johnson

Professor and Director, University of Maine

This would depend on the student's goals. If interested in working in the environmental industry: HAZWOPER training, obtaining a Professional Geologist certification, developing programming skills. The PG can be obtained through self-study to pass the exam; then, the experience is needed to receive official accreditation. HAZWOPER training can be obtained through short courses. Programming skills in many popular languages can be learned online and with freely available material on the internet. I'd also advocate for people getting work experience, if possible. On a general note, computer programming skills, math/physics knowledge, GIS/remote sensing, and UAV training are valuable ways to use a gap year. Students can do these things effectively from anywhere, as long as they have a computer. There are many online options and even apps to improve knowledge in these fields and are needed for what we do.

What type of skills will young contract scientists need?

Joe HarrisonJoe Harrison LinkedIn profile

Animal Scientist and Extension Specialist, Washington State University

Critical thinking and the ability to make the best decisions, realizing that they will make better decisions as one gets more experience. A second skill is the ability to navigate conflict in the workplace.

What technical skills for a contract scientist stand out to employers?

Dr. Joey Neilsen

Assistant Professor, Villanova University

I think programming skills and data analysis/statistics are especially valuable right now, while data science is so big. Our students take a year of Computational Physics in Python, and we integrate Python into some of our upper-level courses and labs as well. Our recent graduates, both in academia and the private sector, report using those skills on a regular basis. Two other skills that US Physics graduates report using regularly are technical problem solving and technical writing. This makes lots of sense from an employer perspective: you want to hire people who can identify and solve problems and then clearly explain the solution to your team. This is a great reason to let those lab reports shine!
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about contract scientist

List of contract scientist skills to add to your resume

Contract scientist skills

The most important skills for a contract scientist resume and required skills for a contract scientist to have include:

  • Technical Reports
  • HPLC
  • Chemistry
  • Data Analysis
  • Analytical Methods
  • Western Blotting
  • Electrophoresis
  • Laboratory Equipment
  • R
  • Elisa
  • Assay Development
  • Vaccines
  • Laboratory Notebook
  • Method Development
  • QC
  • Analytical Techniques
  • GLP
  • UV
  • Apis
  • SDS-PAGE
  • Drug Discovery
  • USP
  • Biomarkers
  • Lims
  • Clinical Studies
  • LC/MS
  • PCR
  • Cell Lines
  • Clinical Trials
  • GC
  • Ms
  • GMP
  • IR
  • FDA
  • PK
  • Sample Preparation
  • Data Collection
  • Cell-Based Assays
  • UPLC

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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