Biology research assistants work in labs and help scientists with observations, equipment repairs, and testing. They can also collaborate with college professors to help with seminars, lab practices, assignments, graduation, or assessment of student projects.
Biology research assistants continue to assist with tests by recording information and setting up laboratory instruments, such as advanced microscopes and electronic hematology differential cell counters. Prior to starting the procedure, it will also be necessary to clean and calibrate instruments, weigh compounds and plan solutions for use. Next, the biology lab assistants conduct or assist with the tests. If completed, they will be responsible for monitoring outcomes and disposing of hazardous waste.
Biology lab assistants need a considerable amount of advanced education. Job candidates are usually expected to have a bachelor's degree in biology and laboratory experience. Industry expertise, the established track record of laboratory study and leadership, as well as the understanding of modern scientific techniques, are essential.
How to Become a Biology Research Assistant
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a biology research assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.48 an hour? That's $50,913 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 20% and produce 139,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Biology Research Assistant Do
There are certain skills that many biology research assistants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, analytical skills and communication skills.
How To Become a Biology Research Assistant
If you're interested in becoming a biology research assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 78.5% of biology research assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.6% of biology research assistants have master's degrees. Even though most biology research assistants have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a biology research assistant. When we researched the most common majors for a biology research assistant, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on biology research assistant resumes include associate degree degrees or doctoral degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a biology research assistant. In fact, many biology research assistant jobs require experience in a role such as research assistant. Meanwhile, many biology research assistants also have previous career experience in roles such as internship or volunteer.
Biology Research Assistant Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a biology research assistant can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as research fellow, progress to a title such as research scientist and then eventually end up with the title senior scientist.
Average Salary for a Biology Research Assistant
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Biology Research Assistants
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Top Skills For a Biology Research Assistant
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.1% of biology research assistants listed cell culture on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and analytical skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Biology Research Assistant Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Biology Research Assistant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Biology Research Assistant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Biology Research Assistant Demographics
Biology Research Assistant Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among biology research assistants, 56.9% of them are women, while 43.1% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among biology research assistants is White, which makes up 58.8% of all biology research assistants.
- The most common foreign language among biology research assistants is Spanish at 49.1%.
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Best States For a Biology Research Assistant
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a biology research assistant. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, and Delaware. Biology research assistants make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $74,169. Whereas in Massachusetts and California, they would average $67,689 and $63,388, respectively. While biology research assistants would only make an average of $63,048 in Delaware, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Massachusetts
$67,689
Avg. Salary
2. New Jersey
$74,169
Avg. Salary
3. District of Columbia
$73,240
Avg. Salary
How Do Biology Research Assistant Rate Their Jobs?
Top Biology Research Assistant Employers
Most Common Employers For Biology Research Assistant
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University | $75,306 | $36.20 | 6 |
| 2 | University of Massachusetts Boston | $59,832 | $28.77 | 6 |
| 3 | James Madison University | $59,001 | $28.37 | 6 |
| 4 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $55,896 | $26.87 | 32 |
| 5 | The State of Oregon | $55,731 | $26.79 | 13 |
| 6 | Colgate University | $55,155 | $26.52 | 7 |
| 7 | Thomas Jefferson University | $55,147 | $26.51 | 6 |
| 8 | USDA | $54,851 | $26.37 | 13 |
| 9 | Dartmouth | $54,446 | $26.18 | 9 |
| 10 | Brigham Young University | $52,339 | $25.16 | 7 |