What does a senior biochemist do?
Senior biochemist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior biochemist resumes:
- 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.
- Serve as beta-tester for electrophoresis software during later stages of development.
- Develop an analytical SDS-PAGE assay to detect environmental degradation of B.t.
- Perform all testing associate with successful 510K submission to FDA subsequently transferring knowledge to manufacturing.
- Produce ELISA assays for the identification of antigen specific monoclonal antibodies, antibody interacting domain mapping and Biocore analysis.
- Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.
- Provide LC/MS training to colleagues.
- Deepen expertise in pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics, and pharmacodynamics including PK/PD modeling, simulations, through hands-on laboratory research.
Senior biochemist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Senior Biochemists are proficient in Data Analysis, Immunoassay, and Enzymes. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Math skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Biochemists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Data Analysis, 20%
Implemented an improved scheduling and analysis management effort between government contracting team and their government customers to foster rapid data analysis.
- Immunoassay, 13%
Lead scientist/project manager responsible for developing novel diagnostic genetic and immunoassay based tools to address mechanistic issues and improve pipeline efficiency.
- Enzymes, 11%
Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.
- Elisa, 10%
Produced ELISA assays for the identification of antigen specific monoclonal antibodies, antibody interacting domain mapping and Biocore analysis.
- Assay Development, 10%
Research and Development, Microbiology Assay DevelopmentGroup/Biochemistry Support Group.
- Sigma, 8%
Performed six sigma experiments optimizing a superior epoxy chloride membrane.
Most senior biochemists use their skills in "data analysis," "immunoassay," and "enzymes" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior biochemist responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior biochemist to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior biochemists do because "biochemists and biophysicists must be able to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision." Additionally, a senior biochemist resume shows how senior biochemists use analytical skills: "compared competitor specifications to provide data for product improvements. "
Math skills. Another essential skill to perform senior biochemist duties is math skills. Senior biochemists responsibilities require that "biochemists and biophysicists use complex equations and formulas regularly in their work." Senior biochemists also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "created drug safety profiles and mathematical models for fda submission. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for senior biochemists to perform their duties. For an example of how senior biochemist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "biochemists and biophysicists use scientific experiments and analysis to find solutions to complex scientific problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior biochemist: "prepared buffer solutions for hplc machines and reagents for oligo synthesis. ".
Time-management skills. For certain senior biochemist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior biochemist rely on this skill, as "biochemists and biophysicists usually need to meet deadlines when conducting research." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior biochemists do: "saved 30% on nucleic acid extraction time by development of improved extraction method. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for senior biochemist responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior biochemists all the time, as "biochemists and biophysicists have to write and publish reports and research papers, give presentations of their findings, and communicate clearly with team members." An excerpt from a real senior biochemist resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior biochemist does: "coordinate biopsy and clinical studies to support technical claims substantiation and communication. "
The three companies that hire the most senior biochemists are:
- Quidel
2 senior biochemists jobs
- Siemens Healthineers2 senior biochemists jobs
- Siemens2 senior biochemists jobs
Compare different senior biochemists
Senior biochemist vs. Associate scientist
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior biochemists and associate scientist. For instance, senior biochemist responsibilities require skills such as "sigma," "assay performance," "analytical techniques," and "biochemistry laboratory." Whereas a associate scientist is skilled in "chemistry," "patients," "cell culture," and "lab equipment." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that associate scientists earn slightly differ from senior biochemists. In particular, associate scientists are 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior biochemist. Additionally, they're 10.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior biochemist vs. Clinical biochemist
A senior scientist is usually in charge of overseeing experiments and evaluating junior scientists' performance, especially in laboratory settings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to assess every progress report to ensure it's accuracy and validity. As a senior scientist in the field, it is essential to lead and encourage fellow scientists in their joint pursuit for scientific innovations, all while adhering to the laboratory's standards and policies.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior biochemist responsibilities requires skills like "data analysis," "immunoassay," "enzymes," and "elisa." But a clinical biochemist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "clinical chemistry," "r," "control issues," and "test results."
Clinical biochemists earn higher levels of education than senior biochemists in general. They're 10.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 10.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior biochemists in the next 3-5 years?
Kimberley Cousins
John M. Pfau Endowed Professor and Department Chair, California State University San Bernardino
Senior biochemist vs. Senior scientist
A biochemist is responsible for researching biological processes and the components of organisms to diagnose possible diseases and develop medication solutions for various illnesses and genetic disorders. Biochemists also contribute resources for environmental sustainability that would help the agricultural industry prevent afflictions. They conduct an in-depth analysis of complex projects and manage laboratory investigations while following strict protocols and safety regulations. A biochemist organizes research papers and present studies to other scientists and medical professionals for recommendations or possible further experiments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior biochemist resumes include skills like "sigma," "assay performance," "analytical techniques," and "biochemistry laboratory," whereas a senior scientist is more likely to list skills in "patients," "molecular biology," "research projects," and "c++. "
Senior scientists typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior biochemists. Specifically, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 14.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior biochemist vs. Biochemist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior biochemists and biochemists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior biochemist might have more use for skills like "sigma," "analytical techniques," "hplc," and "method development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of biochemists require skills like "chemistry," "test results," "protein purification," and "statistical analysis. "
In general, biochemists hold similar degree levels compared to senior biochemists. Biochemists are 1.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 9.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Updated January 8, 2025
