What does a forensic scientist do?
Forensic scientists work as experts in collecting evidence, analyzing evidence collected at crime scenes, and communicating with law enforcement. They can work as a lab manager and detective. They are responsible for ensuring that tests are performed correctly and ethically without any bias. They obtain evidence at the crime scene, making reports of the findings, examining the evidence in the lab if the evidence collected is relevant or not, and testifying in court. They report to superiors the findings of the analysis.
Forensic scientist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real forensic scientist resumes:
- Perform organic and robotic DNA extraction, real-time PCR, serology testing, data maintenance/analysis/comparison, documentation, and report writing.
- Prepare STR products for size separation via CE on ABI [].
- Extract, quantify (RT-PCR), amplify (PCR), and analyze human DNA.
- Experience with GC/MS, ELISA, FPIA, HPLC/DAD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, GC/FID, GC/NPD, and LC/QQQ.
- Skil in STR mixture deductions.
- Maintain, calibrate and clean pipettes.
- Assist with Agilent install of new 400 NMR.
- Perform confirmatory testing on QC and proficiency samples.
- Authore and implement new standard operating procedure for the GC.
- Test samples which have been pre-screen by immunoassay in a high production environment.
- Execute performance verification, maintenance and troubleshooting for instrumentation (HPLC, GC/FID, CE).
- Conduct feasibility and practicality assessments of devices capable of rapid genotyping in relation to JCIDS criteria (i.e.
- Review all sample dilution extractions and supplementing additional in-vial methods where necessary for analysis.
- Maintain daily and monthly NMR operation to include liquid nitrogen and liquid helium fills, shimming, and calibration.
- Develop, validate, and implement methods for instrumentation (HPLC, GC/FID, UPLC, CE).
Forensic scientist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Forensic Scientists are proficient in Laboratory Equipment, Physical Evidence, and Analytical Procedures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math and science skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Forensic Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Laboratory Equipment, 11%
Maintain laboratory equipment and instrumentation (e.g., troubleshooting, conducting preventative maintenance, calibrating and repairing)
- Physical Evidence, 10%
Performed laboratory examinations of physical evidence submitted by law enforcement agencies.
- Analytical Procedures, 5%
Participate in validation of new calibrators, controls and new or modified analytical procedures.
- Extraction, 5%
Performed liquid and solid phase extractions to detect the metabolites of drugs from urine and oral fluids.
- Criminal Justice, 5%
Instructed courses in Criminal Justice at University of Arkansas at Little Rock/ Law School.
- Test Results, 5%
Analyzed and presented test results to scientific and business staff and made strategic recommendations to ensure final product meet market needs.
Most forensic scientists use their skills in "laboratory equipment," "physical evidence," and "analytical procedures" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential forensic scientist responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a forensic scientist to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "forensic science technicians must be able to notice small changes in mundane objects to be good at collecting and analyzing evidence." Forensic scientists often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "identify and label latent prints of value based on sufficient quality and quantity of friction ridge detail. "
Math and science skills. Many forensic scientist duties rely on math and science skills. "forensic science technicians need a solid understanding of statistics and natural sciences to be able to analyze evidence.," so a forensic scientist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways forensic scientist responsibilities rely on math and science skills: "maintained the case backlog by evaluating submissions, conversing with criminal justice customers, and prioritizing workloads to meet deadlines. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for forensic scientists to perform their duties. For an example of how forensic scientist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "forensic science technicians use scientific tests and methods to help law enforcement officials solve crimes." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a forensic scientist: "perform instrument maintenance and source cleaning, calibration and function checks prepare calibrators, controls and solutions for testing. ".
The three companies that hire the most forensic scientists are:
- Abbott7 forensic scientists jobs
- Quest Diagnostics4 forensic scientists jobs
- Alere
3 forensic scientists jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable forensic scientist resume templates
Build a professional forensic scientist resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your forensic scientist resume.
Compare different forensic scientists
Forensic scientist vs. Research fellow
A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a forensic scientist are more likely to require skills like "laboratory equipment," "physical evidence," "analytical procedures," and "extraction." On the other hand, a job as a research fellow requires skills like "patients," "research projects," "cell culture," and "immunology." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Research fellows earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $57,261. On the other hand, forensic scientists are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $81,611.research fellows tend to reach higher levels of education than forensic scientists. In fact, research fellows are 5.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 30.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Forensic scientist vs. Research associate
A research associate is responsible for assisting the research team, organizing and interpreting findings, and verifying information before presenting the study to the board. Research associates duties also include gathering and comparing data from multiple sources, analyzing the current industry trends, creating draft outlines for reports, collecting individual contacts for interview purposes, and helping with the development of research procedures. A research associate must have excellent time-management skills and ability to multi-task, especially on meeting strict deadlines and conducting studies.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, forensic scientist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "physical evidence," "analytical procedures," "criminal justice," and "test results." Meanwhile, a research associate has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "research projects," "data collection," and "cell culture." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, research associates earn a lower salary than forensic scientists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, research associates earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $84,005. Whereas forensic scientists have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $81,611.In general, research associates achieve higher levels of education than forensic scientists. They're 6.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 30.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for forensic scientists in the next 3-5 years?
Janet Gray Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair, The College of New Jersey
Forensic scientist vs. Research and development assistant
A research and development assistant is responsible for supporting the research team in collecting studies and information to support research claims and evaluate data materials. Research and development assistants interview participants, conduct data and statistical analysis, and interpret survey results. They ensure to document all findings and research progress and report any concerns to the research supervisor for immediate resolution. A research and development assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in participating in brainstorming sessions and finalize research subjects as required.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, forensic scientists are more likely to have skills like "physical evidence," "analytical procedures," "extraction," and "criminal justice." But a research and development assistant is more likely to have skills like "lab equipment," "data entry," "data collection," and "assist r."
Research and development assistants earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $71,587. Forensic scientists earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $81,611.When it comes to education, research and development assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to forensic scientists. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Forensic scientist vs. Laboratory analyst
A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.
Types of forensic scientist
Updated January 8, 2025
