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What is a senior research specialist and how to become one
Senior research specialists are experts who carry out research projects and designs with fellow junior research specialist teams. Your job requires you to propose and implement new techniques to improve productivity, sales, and research quality. You will also be needed to oversee and monitor daily laboratory experiments and tasks, ensure timely completion of tasks, and prepare documentation of all experimental procedures. Furthermore, you are to respond to questions, fix problems, report damaged or faulty equipment, and write appropriate financial proposals to funding agencies. Also, you are to supervise or assist in training, advising, and guiding junior researchers and students.
Senior research specialists must have very good knowledge of research principles and scientific methods, be computer literate, and showcase outstanding analytical and interpersonal skills. You also need a bachelor's degree in science or a related field to get this job. With these requirements met, you will earn an average yearly salary of $54,686 or $26 an hour.
What general advice would you give to a senior research specialist?
Dr. Betsy Smith
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College
Avg. Salary $65,071
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 19%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%
Asian 14.20%
Black or African American 4.73%
Hispanic or Latino 11.24%
Unknown 4.89%
White 64.82%
Genderfemale 54.47%
male 45.53%
Age - 34American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 34Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Senior research specialist career paths
Key steps to become a senior research specialist
Explore senior research specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific senior research specialist skills
Skills Percentages Data Collection 11.33% Research Projects 9.41% Data Analysis 4.75% PI 3.65% Laboratory Equipment 3.56% Complete relevant senior research specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior research specialists 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 research specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior research specialist resumes.Research senior research specialist duties and responsibilities
- Manage expanding mouse colony including genotyping.
- Perform sample preparation which includes DNA and RNA extraction, follow by conventional or real-time PCR.
- Gel shifts - looking at the DNA binding to proteins.
- Perform DNA extractions of plant tissue.
Get senior research specialist experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior research specialist. The most common roles before becoming a senior research specialist include research assistant, research specialist team lead and research associate.Prepare your senior research specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior research specialist 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 senior research specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable senior research specialist resume templates
Build a professional senior research specialist 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 senior research specialist resume.
Apply for senior research specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior research specialist 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 did you land your first senior research specialist job
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Average senior research specialist salary
The average senior research specialist salary in the United States is $65,071 per year or $31 per hour. Senior research specialist salaries range between $42,000 and $99,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior research specialists rate their job?
Senior research specialist reviews
To be rejected
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.
Nothing really, it's just that sometimes getting data can be very difficult
Last minute frequent travel, feeling unimportant to the employer
Updated January 8, 2025
