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

What is a laboratory researcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

John Turbeville Ph.D.,

Shelly Lesher

A laboratory researcher is a medical professional and scientist who typically works in a laboratory, and researches and studies diseases, cancers, and other factors that impact human or animal health. They study the presence or absence of disease and work to provide research data that helps medical professionals treat patients with various health conditions. Laboratory researchers conduct cellular and biochemical experiments under the direction of a primary researcher, assist with research projects and interpret experiment test data, manage lab equipment, and work with both laboratory students and directors.

Many laboratory researchers have an associate's, a bachelor's, or a master's degree in a science such as biology, chemistry, physics, or a related field. These researchers must have a strong grasp of their subject of study, and have a working knowledge of laboratory and scientific procedures. They must also possess strong analytical, problem-solving, and communications skills.

Many laboratory researchers can make up to $36,000 annually, and the job field is expected to grow 8% by 2028. If you have a knack for research, and love science, a career as a laboratory researcher could be just right for you.

What general advice would you give to a laboratory researcher?

John Turbeville Ph.D.

Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs/Director of Career Services, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

There is no particular fix, or one size fits all approach to job searching. The ability to successfully network and engage in an ongoing way, in various career-related opportunities, is still the best strategy for success, even in uncertain times like these. Students may have additional opportunities made available to them because of the digital/remote nature of how many organizations are engaging in their recruitment-allowing graduates the ability to experience more, in a shorter period, without limitations of location or travel, that very often enter into considerations surrounding the job search. With that said, however, knowing there is a durable full-time, seasonal nature to early employment opportunities for biology grads, we would expect this to be more prevalent as the economy begins to recover. Demand for graduates in the public health-related fields will likely continue to be high, but graduates will probably need to be even more flexible in starting their careers. Not in the sense that they will need to take positions "out of their field," but instead, that they will need to be more open to relocating for the right opportunities to engage their passions and interests.

ScoreLaboratory ResearcherUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,760

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.39%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.59%

Unknown 4.10%

White 53.41%

Gender

female 43.31%

male 56.69%

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 laboratory researcher

Explore laboratory researcher education requirements

Most common laboratory researcher degrees

Bachelor's

77.6 %

Master's

9.9 %

Associate

5.6 %

Start to develop specific laboratory researcher skills

Skills	Percentages
Lab Procedures	9.77%
Cell Culture	6.61%
Molecular Biology	6.31%
PCR	5.55%
Chemistry	5.08%

Complete relevant laboratory researcher training and internships

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

Research laboratory researcher duties and responsibilities

Manage participant records according to IRB guidelines to ensure confidentiality.
Plan to create apparatus and experimental procedure to enable selective extraction of DNA using surface chemistry.
Experience in conducting gel electrophoresis procedures.
Gel electrophoresis are used to analyze banding patterns.

Prepare your laboratory researcher resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable laboratory researcher resume templates

Build a professional laboratory researcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your laboratory researcher resume.