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

What is a research laboratory technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Kristy Matulevich,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

The Research Laboratory Technician is a part of a larger scientific team, doing all sorts of detailed tasks which clear up the schedules of other, fellow scientists, allowing them to focus on the larger and more difficult duties. A Technician's charges may vary, but usually include receiving, labeling, and preparing samples, conducting tests, constructing and maintaining various scientific equipment, and keeping records.

This is a good position for recent graduates, though not all labs are looking for degree holders. It is, however, a position that for many acts as a stepping stone to PhDs and higher certification and employment. A Laboratory Technician may find themselves pursuing a different career path, as it is very versatile in terms of advancement.

What general advice would you give to a research laboratory technician?

Kristy Matulevich

Medical Laboratory Technology: Clinical Coordinator, Instructor, Harcum College

The general advice I would give would be; first, to become a certified technologist or technician. Once students graduate from a NAACLS (National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science) accredited program, their next step should be to sit for their national certification exam. The exam which my program recommends taking is administered by the ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologists), which we feel is the "gold standard" in certification. Many employers either require potential employees to have this credential or give them six months, after they are hired, to pass the exam. Another organization offers a certification exam, AMT (American Medical Technologists); however, my program and the clinical sites in my local area, usually prefer the ASCP certification. Since becoming ASCP certified requires the technician/technologist to maintain their certification by completing continuing education requirements, new graduates who are approved will continue to learn more theory and techniques related to clinical/medical laboratory science, which is helpful at any stage in one's career, to promote lifelong learning. Some states across the nation also require licensure, so I recommend that a new graduate be aware of that when pursuing a job opportunity.

ScoreResearch Laboratory TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,308

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.45%

Asian 15.71%

Black or African American 12.33%

Hispanic or Latino 13.46%

Unknown 6.15%

White 49.90%

Gender

female 50.99%

male 49.01%

Age - 37

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 - 37

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research laboratory technician

Explore research laboratory technician education requirements

Most common research laboratory technician degrees

Bachelor's

71.8 %

Associate

12.5 %

Master's

9.6 %

Start to develop specific research laboratory technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	8.83%
Chemistry	6.86%
Laboratory Equipment	6.50%
Cell Culture	5.45%
Research Data	3.79%

Complete relevant research laboratory technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research laboratory technicians 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 research laboratory technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research laboratory technician resumes.

Research research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.

Prepare your research laboratory technician resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable research laboratory technician resume templates

Build a professional research laboratory technician 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 research laboratory technician resume.

Apply for research laboratory technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research laboratory technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average research laboratory technician salary

The average research laboratory technician salary in the United States is $38,308 per year or $18 per hour. Research laboratory technician salaries range between $30,000 and $48,000 per year.

Average research laboratory technician salary

$38,308 Yearly

$18.42 hourly

How do research laboratory technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Research laboratory technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It's all about getting data, follow up on project, ensuring that jobs are done properly, write reports after a project is done. You travel if the job or project you're handling is out station.

Cons

Nothing really, it's just that sometimes getting data can be very difficult

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

None

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

What I like is that,you get to interact with different people from various communities.Relationships are formed in the process

Cons

Language barrier can be a problem,because communication needs to be formed in the language that each community you interact with understands.

What is a research laboratory technician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a research laboratory technician?

Research laboratory technician career paths

Key steps to become a research laboratory technician

Explore research laboratory technician education requirements

Most common research laboratory technician degrees

Start to develop specific research laboratory technician skills

Complete relevant research laboratory technician training and internships

Research research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research laboratory technician resume

Choose from 10+ customizable research laboratory technician resume templates

Apply for research laboratory technician jobs

How did you land your first research laboratory technician job

Average research laboratory technician salary

How do research laboratory technicians rate their job?

Research laboratory technician reviews