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Job outlook for microbiological laboratory technicians in the United States
Microbiological laboratory technician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected microbiological laboratory technician job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 7,700 new jobs for microbiological laboratory technicians are projected over the next decade.
Microbiological laboratory technician salaries have increased 9% for microbiological laboratory technicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 16,913 microbiological laboratory technicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 44,567 active microbiological laboratory technician job openings in the US.
The average microbiological laboratory technician salary is $38,713.
Are microbiological laboratory technician jobs in demand?
Microbiological laboratory technician job and salary trends over time
Microbiological laboratory technician jobs over time
Microbiological laboratory technician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16,913 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 17,330 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 16,309 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 17,381 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 18,487 | 0.01% |
Average microbiological laboratory technician salary over time
Microbiological laboratory technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,713 | $18.61 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $38,312 | $18.42 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $37,175 | $17.87 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $36,591 | $17.59 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $35,521 | $17.08 | +2.1% |
Microbiological laboratory technician jobs by state
Most common states for microbiological laboratory technicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,620 | 24% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 138 | 20% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 139 | 16% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 95 | 15% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 193 | 14% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 105 | 14% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 690 | 12% |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 382 | 12% |
| 9 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 674 | 11% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 111 | 11% |
| 11 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 85 | 11% |
| 12 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 884 | 9% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 786 | 9% |
| 14 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 691 | 9% |
| 15 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 272 | 9% |
| 16 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 268 | 9% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 164 | 9% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 147 | 9% |
| 19 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 50 | 9% |
| 20 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,606 | 8% |
Most common cities for microbiological laboratory technicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Kingstown | 1 | 4% | $43,102 |
| 2 | Castle Rock | 1 | 2% | $36,500 |
| 3 | Decatur | 1 | 1% | $42,444 |
| 4 | Iowa City | 1 | 1% | $37,041 |
| 5 | Olathe | 1 | 1% | $32,536 |
| 6 | Plymouth | 1 | 1% | $37,021 |
| 7 | Baltimore | 2 | 0% | $39,050 |
| 8 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $43,057 |
| 9 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $36,525 |
| 10 | Irvine | 1 | 0% | $46,748 |
| 11 | Richmond | 1 | 0% | $35,341 |
| 12 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $48,063 |
Microbiological Laboratory Technician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of microbiological laboratory technician experts
University of California, Irvine
California State University - Long Beach
San Jose State University
Northern Michigan University
Brigham Young University
University of Florida
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Georgetown University Medical Center
Utah Valley University
North Dakota State University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of New Hampshire- Manchester
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Tufts University
Beloit College
University of North Alabama
Christopher Newport University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Mrunalini Pattarkine PhD
ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Dr. Mrunalini Pattarkine PhD: With the advancement in technologies and innovation, the industry will need a workforce that is firmly grounded in basic biotechnology concepts. The skills needed would be high-throughput assay development, integrated AI technologies for drug discovery and biomanufacturing, wearable biomedical devices, 3D cell culture, Bioprinting, microfluidics -these are some of the areas. Along with these technical skills, soft skills will be very critical. Teamwork, critical thinking, collaboration, time management, conflict resolution, and communication will be very important. Last but not least is networking. It is an important activity that will help professionally.
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Mrunalini Pattarkine PhD: Be aware of the industry needs and acquire knowledge that aligns with that need. Convince the employer how you can add value to their talent pool. Be confident in demonstrating that you are the best candidate for that position. While finishing education, look for opportunities to gain real-world hands-on experience.
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mrunalini Pattarkine PhD: The biotechnology field is an interdisciplinary field of applied science. Certain concepts and technical skills are transferable across multiple sectors such as Biomanufacturing, Research-Development, Healthcare, as well as Regulatory -Quality Control fields. If one is interested in making a targeted approach to a certain industry, it is best to find programs (Harrisburg University MS BTEC program) that already has in-built specializations. These allow students to get specialized knowledge base and an option to customize their capstone portfolios. Being current with the emerging technologies and following an agile curriculum is very important. Our program has a tremendous advantage due to our corporate faculty who are seasoned industry professionals. Last but not least is networking. It is an important activity that will help professionally.
What general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Rachael Barry Ph.D.: Microbiologists can work in a wide variety of different professions. Because microbes are very diverse, there are many academic, clinical, and industrial areas where training in microbiology is advantageous. For example, in addition to the importance of microbes in a world recovering from a recent global viral pandemic, microbes can be a source of molecules with clinical uses such as antibiotics, can help us perform environmental remediation, and can serve as living reactors to produce biofuels.
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rachael Barry Ph.D.: Microbiologists work with microscopic organisms such as bacteria and fungi as well as with viruses. They can work in healthcare and clinical settings, in basic research, and industry. There are roles for microbiologists in the cosmetics and personal care industry, the food and beverage industry, as well as the energy and biofuels industry, among others. Many microbiologists spend their days culturing organisms and studying their traits or manipulating those traits to perform useful tasks. Some microbiologists work in the field collecting samples, others are at the bench performing research, and some perform clinical and other types of testing. An entry-level microbiologist may be involved in preparing media for growing microbes, creating and maintaining new versions of microbes, and testing the properties of these organisms. Common methods used by microbiologists include aseptic technique, cell culture, microscopy, and sequencing.
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Rachael Barry Ph.D.: Microbiology is a very hands-on science. Many microbes are straightforward to manipulate genetically and can be propagated quickly, leading to quicker results and innovations than other areas of biology. The relevance to healthcare and industrial applications also means that microbiology skills are often in demand. However, with the diverse nature of the field, this can mean that extensive training may be needed for some positions, including graduate study.
Renaud Berlemont Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorCalifornia State University - Long Beach
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Renaud Berlemont Ph.D.: Being a microbiologist helps you understand many of the things we take for granted. Antibiotics, vaccines, many chemicals, fermented food, infectious diseases, etc. Sometimes it seems “unnatural” because we can’t directly see them. However, we can see the result of their actions everywhere!
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Renaud Berlemont Ph.D.: Microbiology has so many applications that there is no such thing as a typical microbiologist. Food microbiology, clinical microbiology, biotechnology, environmental monitoring, … some microbiologists want to promote microbes, others want to detect and inhibit them, and some just want to control/engineer them!
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Renaud Berlemont Ph.D.: Microbiology is a very exciting field to get in because, as shown by the COVID pandemic, we live in a microbial world and these tiny things can have a huge impact on human populations. However, detecting, controlling, responding to these potential threats also require microbiologists to design vaccine, detection methods, etc.
Rachael French
Professor and ChairSan Jose State University
Natural Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Rachael French: The Biology Department does not generally provide content for for-profit websites.
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rachael French: The Biology Department does not generally provide content for for-profit websites.
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Rachael French: The Biology Department does not generally provide content for for-profit websites.
Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA
Assistant Professor / MLS Program DirectorNorthern Michigan University
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, And Treatment Professions
What general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA: Experience. I have found through my time in the realm that an experienced lab tech is going to be highly sought after and henceforth will have optimal pay opportunities. As the word implies, experience can only be achieved through 'time in the lab' which means you have to put in your time to gather that resume boosting element, experience. Once that happens, then even more doors open up in the profession.
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA: The skills that will be required in the lab tech milieu over the next 3-5 years are the same ones that are necessary now, which is what makes the lab tech profession so lucrative. Foundational laboratory skills are a must now and will be must in the future. Once the aspiring lab tech learns and masters the foundational work, such as lab math, pipetting, dilution schemes, titrating, proper glassware use and application, basic spectrophotometry, transformational weights and measures, microscopy, etc. then they'll be readily adaptable for employment in any laboratory setting.
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA: I would highly recommend that the newly graduated lab tech does not limit themself to a specific location or a specific vocation. The places to work and the types of jobs available are nearly limitless. If one thinks outside of the box, outside of the mainstream lab tech opportunities, they'll find a whole host of other intriguing possibilities. So, do not limit yourself, the world is your oyster, .......so to speak.
What general advice would you give to a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Dr. Kim O'Neill: I would advise an undergraduate from the minute they arrive at university seeking a degree in Microbiology and Molecular Biology to obtain a research laboratory experience. It does not matter what career you wish to pursue, whether it be in medicine, or a PhD program, or to go straight into the work force, it is essential to get a research experience...
What Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kim O'Neill: There already many well paid jobs in the area of microbiology and molecular biology that not only can springboard into the professional programs such as medicine, dentistry, patent law, etc. but there is a demand for scientists that have expertise in the areas of microbiology and molecular biology...
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Kim O'Neill: I think the skills that will become most useful in the next few years will be the ability to manipulate genes, understand the basic sciences such as immunology, bacteriology, virology and molecular biology. Microbiologists have a good understanding of infectious diseases, and how the human body deals with them...
Adam Lowenstein
news bureau chiefWhat Microbiological Laboratory Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Adam Lowenstein: Teamwork and soft skills. Excellent communication and mindset for business. Computational and regulatory compliance knowledge.
What will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians increase their earning potential?
Adam Lowenstein: Identify areas of specialization that you like and that align with the goals of your company.
Monika Oli Ph.D.
Master Lecturer and Undergraduate CoordinatorUniversity of Florida
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Monika Oli Ph.D.: -Good lab skills from pipetting to cloning
-Excellent computer skills are a must
-Data analysis, Excel and or R
-Programming
-Data management
-Bioinformatic programs, use, and application
-More and more experience with next-generation sequencing and associated data analysis is really important
Brandi Sigmon Ph.D.
Academic Success Coordinator, Assistant Professor of PracticeUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Microbiology Program
What skills stand out on Microbiological Laboratory Technician resumes?
Brandi Sigmon Ph.D.: For Microbiological Laboratory Technicians, I believe hands-on experience in laboratory settings will stand out on resumes. Companies hiring for these types of positions prefer candidates who have worked in lab settings because they will know how labs "work." For example, job candidates who have this experience should know how to follow directions in laboratory protocols, how to set up and conduct experiments, how to work as part of a team, and how to keep accurate records of your laboratory work. If someone applying for Microbiological Laboratory Technician positions can emphasize these skills on their resume, they will convey their trainability to future employers.
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Brandi Sigmon Ph.D.: Often, soft skills tend to be forgotten or under-emphasized on resumes for these positions because applicants tend to focus more heavily on technical skills. However, soft skills are extremely important to include on your resume. In particular, attention to detail, good organization skills, good written and oral communication, ability to multitask, and ability to work as part of a team are all valuable soft skills to have for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Brandi Sigmon Ph.D.: For most positions, employers should provide training for specific instruments, equipment, and protocols used in the lab. However, I expect some basic Microbiology-related skills such as aseptic technique, making various growth media, familiarity with various diagnostic tests, isolating colonies from plates, along with knowing how to use common equipment such as microscopes, autoclaves, and dishwashers would be beneficial in general. Many positions also require basic computers skills, and some prefer previous experience with specific software.
What skills will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians earn the most?
Brandi Sigmon Ph.D.: Generally speaking, having previous experience working in a laboratory setting will help applicants earn more. Educational background in a Microbiology-related field will also help. For positions in medically related labs, obtaining a certification in medical laboratory science should also increase opportunities for career growth and higher earnings.
Ivica Labuda
Professor and DirectorGeorgetown University Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry Molecular and Cell Biology
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Ivica Labuda: Time management and a positive attitude. Some key soft skills that are rewarded in biotech workplaces are time management and effective teamwork. With a lot of impressive competition, it's soft skills and a positive personality that allow graduates to succeed.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Ivica Labuda: The competitive nature of the industry means that strong technical skills are a must. Technical skills like a fairly deep knowledge of biology and chemistry, current industry best practices, and recent biotech developments are a prerequisite for success, as they give students the deep foundation and comprehension needed to make difficult project-specific decisions in manufacturing, regulatory, policy, or business issues.
Jim Price Ph.D.
Faculty MemberUtah Valley University
Biology Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Jim Price Ph.D.: I guess if I try to break these down into soft skills and technical skills, cleanliness, attention to detail, ability to follow protocols will be the technical skills.
What skills stand out on Microbiological Laboratory Technician resumes?
Jim Price Ph.D.: My first impression is that different employers seem to look at different things. It's hard for me to guess what they want.
If I try to generalize, my impression is the number one thing they want is someone who will think for themselves, so troubleshooting experience.
We have a lot of students working in industries that require extreme cleanliness and attention to detail. So courses or experience that teach the students how to avoid contamination. So experience with microbiology or tissue culture will be very helpful.
Employers are also very concerned with an employee's ability to follow protocol. So any training in lab procedures that involve following a protocol is helpful.
Familiarity with regulatory requirements and quality control standards would be a real plus on a resume.
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Jim Price Ph.D.: Soft skills of good communication practices, teamwork, and record-keeping would be very helpful.
Dr. Birgit Pruess Ph.D.
ProfessorNorth Dakota State University
Microbiological Sciences
What skills stand out on Microbiological Laboratory Technician resumes?
Dr. Birgit Pruess Ph.D.: That may depend on the type and level of the position. For faculty positions, certainly, research papers are what gets you the job. For postdoctoral fellow positions, the same may still apply. For industry positions, productivity or just getting the job done is still important. Since productivity at the college/university is measured in research papers, those are still helpful, but not the only thing. A list of relevant skills to the company, often listed in the job ad, is very helpful. For entry-level positions, when you don't have a lengthy CV quite yet, it matters what others think of you. That makes recommendations important. Making sure your professors know more about you than your grades is imperative here. Having worked in someone's research lab is extremely helpful. Those professors know you, and you develop lab skills.
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Dr. Birgit Pruess Ph.D.: Soft skills seem more important today than hard skills. I disagree with that. In the end, the job still needs to get done, and that requires technical skills. Among the soft skills, the ability to communicate and work as a team probably stands out. You need to communicate with your direct supervisor and coworkers, and permanent misunderstandings and conflict just wear everybody down. You may also be asked to present your work at a larger meeting or conference. Written communication is important too. You will have to record data and write reports. Possible write lengthy papers. Listening is part of communication as well, not just talking. If you don't listen to your supervisor, you may not understand the instructions and get yourself into trouble when you do something differently that invalidates the data. Make sure you list previous activities and accomplishments in these areas. Pick recommenders that can comment on these activities (see above).
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Dr. Birgit Pruess Ph.D.: For a microbiologist, it is certainly important to know how to work sterile. To protect yourself and your experiment. General bacterial growth and/or virus propagation is often a minimum as well. PCR skills are asked in most workplaces, often as qPCR. This also requires precise pipetting skills. Making solutions and media can be important, though you can get lucky, and your company purchases them ready to go. If the job is with bacteria, microscope skills have gained importance once more. That includes fluorescence and highly advanced methods. Data analysis is crucial for every experiment. You may get lucky and are just asked to turn your data in. More likely than not, you will have to analyze them first. Make sure you have good computational and statistical skills. Bioinformatics can be useful these days as well, which gets us into Big Data. Mention if you have expertise in that area.
What skills will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians earn the most?
Dr. Birgit Pruess Ph.D.: That depends on the job ad. While you are in college, read job ads and find out where your interest is. Then, align your course work and research opportunities with the direction you wanna go into. Be flexible as well. The perfect job may not exist when you start with college.
Dr. Melissa Christopherson
Faculty AssociateUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Bacteriology
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Dr. Melissa Christopherson: The ability to effectively communicate about science is one of the most important skills that a microbiologist can hone. Microbiologists are often at the intersection of many different fields, combining molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and bioinformatics with different applications in industrial fields like biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, biodefense, renewable energy, and the food industry. A successful microbiologist will be able to understand the foundations of each of these fields to foster collaboration. A successful microbiologist will also realize that diverse teams of people often are the most productive and innovative and will seek out an array of perspectives within their team as they pursue the answers to a biological question. Right now, with misinformation about vaccines, COVID, public health, and antibiotics widespread, scientific communication in microbiology is more important than ever.
The ability to critically think about scientific findings is another important skill. The power of microbiology is that many universal biological principles can be tested in controlled experiments at the bench with a carefully designed and controlled experiment. There are many pressing questions in microbiology right now, for instance, a better and more detailed understanding of different microbiomes and the metabolic underpinnings that dictate their function, better understanding of conditions that allow for pathogens to emerge, spread and cause disease, and microbial strategies that can be used to combat climate change. These big ideas are being met with new technology, like next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing, CRISPR, and a host of emerging bioinformatics platforms to analyze the large amounts of data generated by such complex questions. Right now, analyzing these large data sets requires collaboration between bioinformaticists and microbiologists, as few people have sufficiently deep knowledge of both fields to answer these questions on their own. Amid a large cloud of data, the discerning microbiologist will be able to work as part of a team to focus on a simple, controlled, and testable question to move the field forward as a whole.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Dr. Melissa Christopherson: Although I am not a medical microbiologist, there are foundational techniques in microbiology that are critically important right now as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. Basic skills like PCR, nucleic acid sequencing, aseptic technique, serological testing like ELISAs, and microscopy are essential for testing for and identifying pathogens like SARS-COV2. New innovations, CRISPR and LAMP-PCR, are rapidly changing the possible ways to diagnose pathogens. Milestone advances in deep sequencing, among other advances, have led to faster-than-ever vaccine development for emerging pathogens. As an instructor at a top-ranked microbiology program, we teach undergraduates how to use these tools.
Outside of medical microbiology, these tools are being used to understand climate change, solve problems in agriculture, develop renewable energy solutions, and describe a variety of soil, air, and host microbiomes that underpin healthy hosts and ecosystems.
Kristen Johnson Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of BiotechnologyUniversity of New Hampshire- Manchester
Biotechnology Department
What skills stand out on Microbiological Laboratory Technician resumes?
Kristen Johnson Ph.D.: Ability to critically think and be flexible in an ever-changing industry; breadth of experience.
What soft skills should all Microbiological Laboratory Technicians possess?
Kristen Johnson Ph.D.: Communication, Team work, problem-solving.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Kristen Johnson Ph.D.: This is entirely dependent upon the position, as there are so many different positions in the biotech industry. For R&D, PD, MS&T, QC, manufacturing type positions, for example, hands-on lab skills are important. For this, the aseptic technique work in microbiology, cell culture, liquid chromatography, and with various assay equipment. Bio and chemical engineers are also in demand in these areas in order to under the fluid dynamics in manufacturing. Depending upon the size of the company and the stage of R&D, there is a wide range of (molecular and cellular biology) technical skills that can be very useful for particular positions. Computational Biology has become a big part of many biotech company's portfolios.
Kyle DiVito Ph.D.
Associate Director of Biotechnology, Assistant ProfessorGeorgetown University School of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
What skills will help Microbiological Laboratory Technicians earn the most?
Kyle DiVito Ph.D.: By far, the experience will help biotechnology earn the most. The more experience a potential employee has, the more of an asset they will be to an employer, and a capable asset is worth paying for to the employer. This leads back to my initial comment on hands-on learning. Job-seekers looking to establish a foothold in biotechnology, who consistently challenge themselves and seek new opportunities to learn and develop their skills, are likely the best way to become more experienced and the most direct manner to earn at the highest possible potential.
What skills stand out on Microbiological Laboratory Technician resumes?
Kyle DiVito Ph.D.: Biotechnology is such a diverse scientific discipline. It can include everything from wet-bench molecular biology to in-silico computer-aided modeling and artificial intelligence. With that being said, it can be hard for those just entering the field to feel that their resume is sufficient to get the traction needed to be noticed by a hiring manager. But a few things will always stand out. Simply stated, hands-on training is essential. An individual with a diverse background that contains immersion training, even if it is only a semester or two, working in either a laboratory or another aspect of biotech will always stand out to hiring managers, and without this asset, job-seekers may find it difficult to land a position that will be both challenging and rewarding. This is especially true now, where employers are looking for a well-qualified and eager workforce for the very technically challenging positions that are required of the biotechnologist. The other skill-set that becomes almost immediately apparent on a resume is communication skills. Is the resume/cv easy to read? Does it provide important information like relevant internships or work experience upfront rather than being hidden? These small details indicate that the individual considered the reader when drafting the resume and likely has well-defined communication skills, which are of immense value for small-scale startups and large pharma alike.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Andrew Camilli: A short-term impact is happening now because of limited hiring due to COVID safety protocols that limit the number of people in work spaces. However, this limitation should dissipate as the pandemic winds down this summer and fall. After that, I would hope that hiring of PhD and Master students will accelerate to a high level, given the reminder the pandemic has given us of the importance of biomedical R&D.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Tawnya Cary Ph.D.: Yes, I think there will be an enduring impact of the coronavirus on biology graduates. The impact will likely be multifaceted, but two things come to mind: 1) I think the demand for more professionals in public health and epidemiology will increase and graduate interest to fill that demand will follow, and 2) graduates have been given a 'pause button' for the past year while hiring has decreased, programs have been cancelled, etc. This time to reflect on what they want and need for their careers moving forward will hopefully help them re-evaluate the plans they have for themselves in a positive way.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Microbiological Laboratory Technicians?
Dr. Eric Becraft: In the long run, there will probably be very little, if any, impact on graduates. At least in my experience, professors and staff have done an amazing job adapting to the new environment so students do not lose out on any education. Even in STEM laboratories, where social distancing is difficult, professors have managed to still provide the essential hands-on experiences that graduates will use in the future. If anything, the experience of the pandemic may make graduates more adaptable to different settings of higher learning.
What technical skills for a Microbiological Laboratory Technician stand out to employers?
Dr. Eric Becraft: In today's world the number one skill that stands out is computer science/programming. Every STEM field requires knowledge of computers now, and the more knowledge the better. Also important in the biological sciences is the ability to work with and analyze DNA in the laboratory and on the computer, respectively. DNA sequencing science is the only science moving faster than computer science, and soon all biologists, and maybe most STEM scientists, will need some experience in the field of genetics.
Janet Steven Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorChristopher Newport University
Organismal and Environmental Biology
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Microbiological Laboratory Technician job market given the pandemic?
Janet Steven Ph.D.: Clearly the pandemic will create a demand for biology graduates working in human health and health care. Not just as care providers like doctors and nurses, but also in epidemiology, public health policy, emergency planning, medical ethics, and many other allied fields.
What's a day at work look like for a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?
Max Haggblom Ph.D.: Work that has to be done in the lab needs to be in-person. This will not change, once labs can be safely re-populated, but meetings, etc. are now remotely and will likely continue in this mode for some time.
What technical skills for a Microbiological Laboratory Technician stand out to employers?
Max Haggblom Ph.D.: For microbiologists it is important to have broad laboratory skills, microbiological technique of course, but also proficiency in biochemical and molecular assays. Knowledge in the use of relevant lab instrumentation, such as PCR. The ability to analyze and interpret data is a must, as are strong writing and presentation skills. Critical thinking and the ability to troubleshoot experimental methods as well as analytical instrumentation are important.