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

What is a research microbiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a research microbiologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $34.08 an hour? That's $70,894 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 1,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a research microbiologist?

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.

ScoreResearch MicrobiologistUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,894

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 15.60%

Black or African American 2.92%

Hispanic or Latino 8.21%

Unknown 5.24%

White 67.34%

Gender

female 52.51%

male 47.49%

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

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research microbiologist

Explore research microbiologist education requirements

Most common research microbiologist degrees

Bachelor's

66.4 %

Master's

16.6 %

Doctorate

14.2 %

Start to develop specific research microbiologist skills

Skills	Percentages
R	13.25%
Lab Equipment	10.42%
Chemistry	8.37%
Microorganisms	5.80%
FDA	5.68%

Complete relevant research microbiologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research microbiologists 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 microbiologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research microbiologist resumes.

Research research microbiologist duties and responsibilities

Job duties begin in a general microbiology/ infectious disease laboratory focuse on cultivating and managing infectious strains of microbes.
Design and conduct testing require for surgical medical devices and pharmaceuticals by FDA and EPA.
Complete media preparation and QC.
Participate in the company's quality program according to GMP and ISO requirements.

Prepare your research microbiologist resume

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

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