Biology Research Assistant
Impact: Scientific discovery and public health advancement
Conducts experiments, collects and analyzes data, and maintains laboratory equipment to support scientific investigations in biological fields.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 70% Team / 30% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $65,000
- Entry-level
- $40,000 - $55,000
- Senior
- $85,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 10% (faster than average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Very Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 50-70% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $25,000 - $40,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Laboratory Techniques
- Data Analysis
- Scientific Writing
- Microscopy
- PCR
- Cell Culture
- Statistical Software
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Attention to Detail
- Communication
- Collaboration
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Research Assistant
- Lab Manager
- Senior Research Scientist
- Principal Investigator
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% to low risk
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.8/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.2/10
- Prestige
- 6.5/10
- Social perception
- High