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 151 Biochemist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 5384 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Biochemist / Biophysicist industry, which includes the Biochemist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
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 $96,608.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $89,496.
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 $77,796.
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 | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.65% |
| Master's Degree | 34.75% |
| Doctoral Degree | 42.55% |
| Other | 3.06% |
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 | 48.13% |
| 3 to 5 years | 35.15% |
| 6 to 8 years | 8.99% |
| 9+ years | 7.72% |
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 (59.7%)
- Communication (37.95%)
- Writing (22.08%)
- Detail Oriented (21.34%)
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (20.02%)
- Problem Solving (14.91%)
- Self-Motivation (14.21%)
- Presentations (13.97%)
- Operations (13.71%)
- Management (13.3%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Biochemistry (78.83%)
- Biology (46.94%)
- Chemistry (47.17%)
- Molecular Biology (34.83%)
- Biochemical Assays (26.27%)
- Protein Purification (13.14%)
- Biophysics (10.51%)
- Protein Expression (9.51%)
- Protein Characterization (8.1%)
- Structural Biology (8.31%)
- Protein Biochemistry (7.72%)
- Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (7.97%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Cell Biology (18.63%)
- Cell Cultures (15.95%)
- Data Analysis (16.45%)
- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (16.74%)
- Laboratory Experience (16.09%)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (14.86%)
- Biotechnology (11.62%)
- Chromatography (12.43%)
- Laboratory Equipment (11.66%)
- Immunology (8.93%)
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent (ELISA) Assay (9.91%)
- Pharmaceuticals (9.99%)
- Mass Spectrometry (10.07%)
- Biopharmaceuticals (8.95%)
- Western Blot (8.28%)
- Analytical Techniques (9.74%)
- Drug Discovery (8.29%)
- Chemical Engineering (9.18%)
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (8.41%)
- Workflow Management (8.51%)
- Microbiology (8.22%)
- Research Experiences (8.64%)
- Ribonucleic Acid Sequencing (7.2%)
- Reagent (8.35%)
- Automation (8.31%)
- Antibodies (7.72%)
- Small Molecules (7.06%)
- Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) (6.27%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Recombinant DNA Technology (6.58%)
- AKTA (Chromatography Technology) (5.58%)
- Chemical Biology (4.21%)
- Protein Engineering (3.87%)
- Protein Chemistry (3.64%)
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 Chemistry (11.09%)
- Protein Biochemistry (23.53%)
- Protein Characterization (24.71%)
- Protein Production (9.98%)
- AKTA (Chromatography Technology) (17.02%)
- Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (24.3%)
- Protein Engineering (11.8%)
- Enzymology (5.93%)
- Protein Purification (40.08%)
- Structural Biology (25.35%)
- Recombinant DNA Technology (20.07%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Biochemist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Scientist
- Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
- Associate Scientist
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Research Associate
- Research Assistant
- Research Biochemist
- Laboratory Assistant
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.
- Assay Development Scientist
- Molecular Biologist
- Biologist (General)
- Cell Biologist
- Chemist (General)
- Analytical Chemist
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 (353)
- Rutgers (143)
- Pennsylvania State University (87)
- Merck & Co. (85)
- University of California-San Francisco (77)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (75)
- Actalent (71)
- Rutgers University (63)
- University of Pennsylvania (61)
- Sanofi (60)
North Carolina
- Grifols (18)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (17)
- Bioagilytix (14)
- Fujifilm (8)
- Actalent (6)
- Catalent (5)
- East Carolina University (5)
- Atrium Health (4)
- Bioagilytix Labs (4)
- North Carolina State University (4)
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!
- Biomanufacturing Graduate Certificates
- Environmental Assessment Master's Degrees
- Environmental Assessment Graduate Certificates
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.