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

Q: Do you need a Ph.D. to be a research technician?

No, you do not need a Ph.D. to be a research technician. No higher education is required for a role as a research technician, though most laboratories prefer someone with a bachelor's or master's degree or someone with prior lab experience.

Q: Do you need a degree to be a research technician?

No, you do not need a degree to be a research technician. While it is possible to become a research technician without a degree, most employers prefer candidates with higher education, such as bachelor's or master's degrees.

Q: How much do research technicians make?

Research technicians make $41,000 a year. The average salary for a Research Technician is $41,000 a year, with jobs ranging in price from $34,000 up to $54,000. Salary values vary significantly based on location and usually favor larger metropolitan areas or well-known government-funded laboratories.

Q: Is a research technician a scientist?

No, a research technician is not a scientist. While a research technician is not officially considered a scientist, they actively practice and apply science throughout their daily work. The meaning of 'scientist' differs from person to person, so depending on who you speak to, you could consider yourself a scientist, though salary-wise, you may not feel like one.

Q: Is being a research technician a good job?

No, being a research technician is not a good job. There is nothing specifically negative about being a research technician, but the salary is slightly above the national average while requiring a significant level of knowledge.

Q: What is the difference between research assistants and technicians?

The difference between research assistants and technicians is that research assistants test and work to further a product's creation, whereas research technicians do routine work. At first glance, the position of a research technician and a research associate seem very similar, though the difference lies in their own respective goals. The titles and responsibilities usually vary between the schools and laboratories, with many of the responsibilities being interchangeable between the positions.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a technician?

The qualifications needed to become a technician are, at minimum, a high school diploma or equivalent and certification. Additional education and experience may be required and are typically desirable.

What is a research technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

If you have a passion for science and enjoy the challenges of solving scientific research, analysis, and investigation, then you might consider a career as a research technician.

Generally, a research technician or research scientist is a person who helps scientists with their research and experiments in a laboratory. Research technician is a job that offers you job satisfaction, the flexibility of work, high salaries, variable tasks, and a stable employment market.

A technician position may bring a satisfying role as the key member of a laboratory or may act as a stepping stone to a Ph.D., medical, or other job opportunities.

What general advice would you give to a research technician?

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 TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,034

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.42%

Asian 16.54%

Black or African American 11.96%

Hispanic or Latino 13.08%

Unknown 6.11%

White 49.88%

Gender

female 50.71%

male 49.29%

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 technician

Explore research technician education requirements

Most common research technician degrees

Bachelor's

74.1 %

Master's

11.3 %

Associate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific research technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	8.99%
Data Collection	5.77%
Cell Culture	5.35%
Laboratory Equipment	4.99%
Research Projects	4.14%

Complete relevant research technician training and internships

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

Research research technician duties and responsibilities

Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.

Prepare your research technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research 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 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 technician resume templates

Build a professional research 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 technician resume.

Apply for research technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research 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

How do research technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Research technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

The struggle of not breaking a certain research topic.

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

What is a research technician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a research technician?

Research technician career paths

Key steps to become a research technician

Explore research technician education requirements

Most common research technician degrees

Start to develop specific research technician skills

Complete relevant research technician training and internships

Research research technician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research technician resume

Choose from 10+ customizable research technician resume templates

Apply for research technician jobs

How did you land your first research technician job

Average research technician salary

How do research technicians rate their job?

Research technician reviews

Research technician FAQs

Do you need a Ph.D. to be a research technician?

Do you need a degree to be a research technician?

How much do research technicians make?

Is a research technician a scientist?

Is being a research technician a good job?

What is the difference between research assistants and technicians?

What qualifications do you need to be a technician?

Search for research technician jobs

Research technician jobs by state