What does a junior chemist do?
A Junior Chemist prepares test solutions, compounds, and reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct the test. They work under the supervision of a senior chemist.
Junior chemist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real junior chemist resumes:
- Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
- Process laboratory data to ensure efficiency of plant operations and troubleshoot unexpect conditions to prevent an upset within the plant.
- Solve the quality issues with Zithromax SDD extrusion during a systems audit of the start up process, in Vega Baja.
- Provide general support to the custom mixing and extrusion departments in day-to-day operations.
Junior chemist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Junior Chemists are proficient in Lab Equipment, R, and HPLC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Junior Chemists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lab Equipment, 17%
Designed and fabricated pilot scale lab equipment simulating specific industrial processes to demonstrate the feasibility of novel chemical application concepts.
- R, 8%
Participate in the preparation of deviation reports as necessary for submission to R &D Management.
- HPLC, 6%
Supported Project Management by the thorough execution of HPLC validation protocols.
- PH Meter, 5%
Utilize chemical instruments such as viscosity meter, density meter, and pH meter.
- QC, 5%
Supported demi-grand batching processes through accurate QC testing/sampling analysis of fragrance raw materials against standards.
- Analytical Instruments, 5%
Operated analytical instruments (HPLC-MS, GC-MS, Total organic carbon analysis, and custom air equipment).
Common skills that a junior chemist uses to do their job include "lab equipment," "r," and "hplc." You can find details on the most important junior chemist responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a junior chemist to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "chemists and materials scientists need to evaluate the results of experiments to ensure accuracy in their research." Additionally, a junior chemist resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "perform non-routine and routine instrumental analysis and wet chemistry analysis in response to customer inquiries and projects as required. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform junior chemist duties is communication skills. Junior chemists responsibilities require that "chemists and materials scientists must be able to convey information clearly in reports and presentations for both technical and nontechnical audiences." Junior chemists also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "lead technical support, coordinate relevant activities and projects updates/communication to cross functional teams and stakeholders. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of junior chemists is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday junior chemist duties, as "chemists and materials scientists regularly use calculus, algebra, statistics, and other math for calculations." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed qualitative organics analysis and quantitative analysis by accelerated solvent extraction. "
Organizational skills. junior chemist responsibilities often require "organizational skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "chemists and materials scientists must document processes carefully when conducting experiments, tracking outcomes, and analyzing results." This resume example shows what junior chemists do with organizational skills on a typical day: "well versed in implementing standard operating procedures, organizational policies, and analytical methodologies accurately and consistently. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a junior chemist to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what junior chemists relies on this skill, since "chemists’ and materials scientists’ work involves posing questions during research and finding answers through results." How this skill relates to junior chemist duties can be seen in an example from a junior chemist resume snippet: "analyze various solutions for process development and process control. "
Time-management skills. While "time-management skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to junior chemist responsibilities. Much of what a junior chemist does relies on this skill, seeing as "chemists and materials scientists usually need to meet deadlines and must be able to prioritize tasks while maintaining quality." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of junior chemists: "completed testing on rush samples from chemical plants, submitted test results on time, with effort cited as instrumentation. "
Choose from 10+ customizable junior chemist resume templates
Build a professional junior chemist 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 junior chemist resume.
Compare different junior chemists
Junior chemist 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a junior chemist are more likely to require skills like "ph meter," "analytical instruments," "chemical engineering," and "wet chemistry." On the other hand, a job as a research associate requires skills like "patients," "research projects," "data analysis," and "cell culture." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Research associates really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $84,005. Comparatively, junior chemists tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $69,178.research associates tend to reach similar levels of education than junior chemists. In fact, research associates are 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 9.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Junior chemist vs. Research laboratory technician
Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real junior chemist resumes. While junior chemist responsibilities can utilize skills like "ph meter," "analytical instruments," "chemical engineering," and "wet chemistry," research laboratory technicians use skills like "patients," "chemistry," "laboratory equipment," and "cell culture."
On average, research laboratory technicians earn a lower salary than junior chemists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, research laboratory technicians earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $42,600. Whereas junior chemists have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $69,178.In general, research laboratory technicians achieve lower levels of education than junior chemists. They're 7.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 9.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for junior chemists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Betsy Smith
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College
Junior chemist vs. Assistant research scientist
An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a junior chemist is likely to be skilled in "ph meter," "analytical instruments," "chemical engineering," and "wet chemistry," while a typical assistant research scientist is skilled in "research projects," "data analysis," "cell culture," and "chemistry."
Assistant research scientists earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $71,080. Comparatively, junior chemists have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $69,178.assistant research scientists typically earn similar educational levels compared to junior chemists. Specifically, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 13.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Junior chemist 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.
Types of junior chemist
Updated January 8, 2025
