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

What is a junior research scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Shelly Lesher

A junior research scientist may be entirely laboratory-based or choose to work in the field. Their responsibilities may include writing research papers, reports, summaries, and reviews. They prepare research proposals and help with grants and funding applications. A junior research scientist will need to stay updated on relevant scientific and technical studies, developments, and projects.

To become a junior research scientist, you will need a bachelor's degree, be working on a master's degree, and have experience in a scientific field. You will need to pursue certifications in your chose scientific field and consider a doctorate to move up the ladder.

Being a junior research scientist can be an enjoyable career, and you have strong earning potential. You also can research a variety of different fields. The job may be extremely fulfilling. Most junior research scientists are on their way to becoming a full-fledged scientist with finely honed observation skills, communications, and critical thinking skills. A junior research scientist can look forward to making about $45,000 - $75,000 per year on their way to making much more in their chosen field.

What general advice would you give to a junior 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.

ScoreJunior Research ScientistUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $67,062

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.37%

Black or African American 6.39%

Hispanic or Latino 9.63%

Unknown 4.11%

White 53.36%

Gender

female 51.69%

male 48.31%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a junior research scientist

Explore junior research scientist education requirements

Most common junior research scientist degrees

Bachelor's

59.2 %

Master's

25.4 %

Doctorate

8.7 %

Start to develop specific junior research scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	21.69%
PI	17.86%
C++	11.34%
Data Collection	9.80%
Data Entry	5.96%

Complete relevant junior research scientist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New junior 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 junior research scientist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real junior research scientist resumes.

Research junior research scientist duties and responsibilities

Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Collect DNA and RNA from plants.
Assist in preparing IRB amendments and submissions.
Perform ELISA on clinical samples in an NIH fund laboratory.

Prepare your junior research scientist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your junior research scientist resume.

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