How To Become A Senior Biochemist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior biochemist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Kimberley Cousins

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior biochemist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $36.89 an hour? That's $76,738 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 15% and produce 5,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior biochemist?

Kimberley Cousins

John M. Pfau Endowed Professor and Department Chair, California State University San Bernardino

Get some experience: research or internship while an undergraduate, or working at a chemical "temp agency" upon graduating-network: set up a professional LinkedIn page. Attend campus job fairs and networking events, including local section meetings of the American Chemical Society. Send out lots of resumes. Work with the career center or a mentor to tailor your resume. Be persistent.

ScoreSenior BiochemistUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,738

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 17.52%

Black or African American 2.68%

Hispanic or Latino 7.48%

Unknown 4.89%

White 66.87%

Gender

female 35.09%

male 64.91%

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

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior biochemist

Explore senior biochemist education requirements

Most common senior biochemist degrees

Bachelor's

63.5 %

Master's

17.3 %

Doctorate

15.4 %

Start to develop specific senior biochemist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Analysis	20.00%
Immunoassay	13.45%
Enzymes	10.69%
Elisa	9.84%
Assay Development	9.60%

Complete relevant senior biochemist training and internships

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

Research senior biochemist duties and responsibilities

Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
SOP writing in simple to understand language by following CLSI and FDA guidelines.
Observe SAR divergence among different FabH pathogenic homologues, indicative that it is not a broad-spectrum antibiotic target.
Perform experiments with radiolabele HeLa cells, which support sales and marketing of electrophoresis systems, and CRO services.

Apply for senior biochemist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior biochemist 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