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What does a research biochemist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith
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Research biochemist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real research biochemist resumes:

  • Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
  • Develop, validate and implement biochemical, enzyme, ELISA and cell-base assays as primary and secondary screening assays.
  • Investigate DNA / protein homologies between species using DNA analysis software.
  • Schedule GMP activity and coordinate testing and cleaning of the area.
  • Develop and design new cleaning procedures and execute them for GMP equipment.
  • Coordinate IQ/OQ/PQ testing for new equipment and maintenance of PQ testing as per FDA guidelines.
  • Prompt method development of protein aggregation assays, which enable process and formulation groups to make FDA approve products.
  • Perform ELISA assay platform optimization, validation, and transfer assessments to maximize quality and quantity of clinical trial data reporting.
  • Determine the structure of post-translational protein, known as ubiquitin, and its relate functions (signaling DNA replication repair).
  • Conduct gel electrophoresis, column chromatography, and other various assays.
  • Collaborate with sequencing lab to obtain real time PCR analysis to evaluate potential regulatory effects or instability in gene copy number.
  • Provide technical leadership in the development of IVD immunoassays for cancers and other disease states on high-throughput automate analyzers.

Research biochemist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Research Biochemists are proficient in Assay Development, Protein Analysis, and R. They’re also known for soft skills such as Observation skills, Communication skills, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Research Biochemists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Assay Development, 16%

    Produced proteins in large scale for structure determination, HTS screens and in-vitro assay developments.

  • Protein Analysis, 12%

    Study Director for regulatory studies requiring detailed GLP protein analysis for submission to Global regulatory agencies.

  • R, 5%

    Created R Shiny applications for variant analysis and data visualization to support complex queries, exploratory analysis, and result interpretation.

  • Research Projects, 5%

    Acquired Skills: Management: Designed and supervised independent research projects.

  • HPLC, 5%

    Conducted TNT extraction efficiency experiments using HPLC methodology.

  • Data Analysis, 3%

    Worked extensively with data analysis/interpretation and presentation.

"assay development," "protein analysis," and "r" are among the most common skills that research biochemists use at work. You can find even more research biochemist responsibilities below, including:

Observation skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a research biochemist to have is observation skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." Research biochemists often use observation skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "used monte carlo methods to simulate astronomical observations and to aid statistical analysis. "

Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling research biochemist duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." According to a research biochemist resume, here's how research biochemists can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "core facility-functional genomics * contract job * manual and automated dna sequencing, data analyses and communication to team leaders"

See the full list of research biochemist skills

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Compare different research biochemists

Research biochemist vs. Postdoctoral scholar

A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.

We looked at the average research biochemist salary and compared it with the wages of a postdoctoral scholar. Generally speaking, postdoctoral scholars are paid $19,062 lower than research biochemists per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both research biochemist and postdoctoral scholar positions are skilled in r, research projects, and hplc.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between research biochemists and postdoctoral scholar. For instance, research biochemist responsibilities require skills such as "assay development," "protein analysis," "sops," and "sds-page." Whereas a postdoctoral scholar is skilled in "chemistry," "python," "patients," and "mathematics." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Postdoctoral scholars tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $72,557. In contrast, research biochemists make the biggest average salary, $88,292, in the pharmaceutical industry.On average, postdoctoral scholars reach higher levels of education than research biochemists. Postdoctoral scholars are 6.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 11.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Research biochemist vs. Fellow

A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities. Furthermore, a fellow must adhere to the institution or organization's policies and regulations at all times, meet all the requirements and outputs involved, and coordinate with every person in the workforce.

A career as a fellow brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a research biochemist. In fact, fellows salary is $10,285 lower than the salary of research biochemists per year.A few skills overlap for research biochemists and fellows. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "r," "research projects," and "data analysis. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, research biochemist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "assay development," "protein analysis," "hplc," and "elisa." Meanwhile, a fellow has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "professional development," "veterans," and "mathematics." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, fellows earn a lower salary than research biochemists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, fellows earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $67,978. Whereas research biochemists have higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $88,292.fellows earn similar levels of education than research biochemists in general. They're 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 11.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for research biochemists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

Honestly, I think anytime a scientist tries to predict what will be "big" in a few years, they're likely to fail. That said, I think there's a growing interest among consumers for more "green" products, so research into those areas will likely grow. For instance, we might see attempts to develop new plastics that are safer for the environment and humans, perhaps biodegradable. Organic chemistry traditionally uses harsh solvents and chemicals that are difficult to dispose of safely, so there is an effort to find alternatives to these. Analytical chemistry techniques for separating and identifying compounds, like GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), will likely continue to be necessary. CRISPR, the relatively new gene-editing technology, is likely to become even more widely used on the biochemistry side of things.

Research biochemist vs. Doctoral fellow

A doctoral fellow is a physician that has completed studies and receives a fellowship to cover his/her or her expenses while completing his/her or her medical dissertation. A doctor fellow undergoes this fellowship to get additional training for their chosen sub-specialty. During the fellowship period, a fellow can act as an attending physician or consultant physician with other physicians' direct supervision in the sub-specialty field.

On average scale, doctoral fellows bring in lower salaries than research biochemists. In fact, they earn a $23,283 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on research biochemists and doctoral fellows resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "r," "research projects," and "hplc.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, research biochemists are more likely to have skills like "assay development," "protein analysis," "sops," and "rna." But a doctoral fellow is more likely to have skills like "patients," "cell culture," "cell biology," and "veterans."

Doctoral fellows make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $67,423. On the other hand, research biochemists are paid the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry, with average annual pay of $88,292.Most doctoral fellows achieve a similar degree level compared to research biochemists. For example, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 33.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research biochemist vs. Postdoctoral associate

A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.

Postdoctoral associates tend to earn a lower pay than research biochemists by an average of $22,299 per year.According to resumes from research biochemists and postdoctoral associates, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "r," "research projects," and "hplc. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between research biochemists and postdoctoral associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a research biochemist might have more use for skills like "assay development," "protein analysis," "sops," and "rna." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of postdoctoral associates require skills like "patients," "tip," "biomedical," and "crispr. "

Postdoctoral associates enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,445. For comparison, research biochemists earn the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry.postdoctoral associates reach similar levels of education compared to research biochemists, in general. The difference is that they're 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 34.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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