How To Become A Laboratory Chemist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a laboratory chemist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Dr. Matthieu Rouffet Ph.D.

A laboratory chemist conducts experiments on chemical substances to ensure quality control, develop new products, or improve existing ones. Your duties and responsibilities include analyzing chemical compounds and using the information to find new applications for those chemicals, setting up tests, and directing other employees on how to carry those tests out. You are also to write reports on your findings and share them with other scientists to help push the research forward. You will work with a lot of complex equipment to test heavy metals and maintain them as well. In addition, you must ensure conformance with government regulations and policies.

A bachelor's degree in chemistry is the minimum education required for this job, though some research positions require a graduate degree. You should also have experience in scientific research and laboratory work, good presentation, documentation, reporting, and strong technical skills. Your average salary per annum is $53,331.

What general advice would you give to a laboratory chemist?

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.

ScoreLaboratory ChemistUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,702

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 18.29%

Black or African American 7.66%

Hispanic or Latino 9.30%

Unknown 4.56%

White 59.95%

Gender

female 36.09%

male 63.91%

Age - 40

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 - 40

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a laboratory chemist

Explore laboratory chemist education requirements

Most common laboratory chemist degrees

Bachelor's

79.6 %

Master's

10.8 %

Associate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific laboratory chemist skills

Skills	Percentages
Lab Equipment	7.66%
Chromatography	4.80%
Analytical Methods	4.57%
Laboratory Procedures	4.51%
Sample Preparation	3.98%

Complete relevant laboratory chemist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New laboratory chemists 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 laboratory chemist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real laboratory chemist resumes.

Research laboratory chemist duties and responsibilities

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Perform testing on BioGlue components, titration - uv-vis - gel electrophoresis, and FTIR examination of incoming raw materials.
Develop and execute HPLC, UV and dissolution test methods for non-routine raw materials and finish products.
Conduct raw material analyses, perform tests using FTIR and GC instrumentation, develop policies and procedures, conduct trouble shooting.

Prepare your laboratory chemist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your laboratory chemist 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 laboratory chemist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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