Biochemist

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A Biochemist studies the chemical composition of cells and organisms and conducts research using advanced technologies. Studies the chemical interactions involved in biologic processes such as metabolism, reproduction, and growth, or the effect of drugs or hormones on cells, or conducts research to isolate, analyze or synthesize proteins, enzymes and other molecules.

Job Outlook

There were 45 Biochemist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2542 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Biochemist industry, which includes the Biochemist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:

Salary

Many new Biochemist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $76,568.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $76,568.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Biochemist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $64,194.

Education and Experience

Posted Biochemist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education Level	Percentage
Associate's Degree	3.7%
Bachelor's Degree	48.43%
Master's Degree	33.4%
Doctoral Degree	50.87%
Other	3.38%

Posted Biochemist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of Experience	Percentage
0 to 2 years	54.75%
3 to 5 years	30.36%
6 to 8 years	7.99%
9+ years	6.9%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Biochemist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

Research (59.56%)
Communication (34.15%)
Teaching (20.65%)
Detail Oriented (15.85%)
Self-Motivation (14.99%)
Organizational Skills (13.14%)
Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (13.02%)
Mentorship (12.51%)
Management (12.35%)
Innovation (12.23%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

Biochemistry (93.42%)
Chemistry (48.88%)
Molecular Biology (35.3%)
Protein Biochemistry (11.17%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

Protein Purification (11.29%)
Analytical Techniques (8.75%)
Laboratory Experience (12.39%)
Biotechnology (8.26%)
Automation (4.38%)
Good Manufacturing Practices (12.92%)
Biophysics (15.13%)
Mass Spectrometry (8.67%)
Cell Biology (15.09%)
Structural Biology (9.12%)
Cell Cultures (11.04%)
Biology (43.64%)
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (15.71%)
Protein Characterization (9.04%)
Immunology (5.4%)
Biochemical Assays (20.57%)
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent (ELISA) Assay (8.63%)
Quality Management Systems (1.68%)
Laboratory Equipment (11.12%)
Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) (7.81%)
Data Analysis (12.88%)
Protein Expression (9.49%)
Assay Development (5.64%)
Genetics (5.85%)
Chromatography (9.33%)

Distinguishing Skills

A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.

Enzymology (4.95%)
Enzyme Kinetics (2.25%)

Salary Boosting Skills

A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.

Protein Biochemistry (77.12%)
Enzymology (34.18%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Biochemist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
Research Biochemist
Biochemistry Research Assistant
Molecular Biologist
Scientist
Postdoctoral Fellow
Associate Scientist
Molecular Biology Research Assistant
Chemistry Scientist

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Biochemist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

Eurofins (246)
Actalent (54)
University of California (53)
University of Pennsylvania (45)
Pennsylvania State University (42)
Indiana University (39)
Medical University of South Carolina (29)
Kelly Services (28)
AbbVie (26)
Virginia Commonwealth University (22)

North Carolina

University of North Carolina (5)
Wake Forest University (3)
Duke University (3)
Grifols Therapeutics (3)
University of Arkansas (3)
Grifols (2)
Atrium Health (2)
Appalachian State University (2)
North Carolina State University (2)
Biomerieux (2)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!

All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.

Science and Research