Biotechnology Research Assistants
Overview
Introduction
Biotechnology research assistants work to help scientists, engineers, professors, and a wide variety of other professionals get their jobs done. They are information specialists who find the facts, data, and statistics that their employers need, leaving the employers free to pursue the larger task at hand. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that there are 76,990 biological technicians (a job that is similar to biotechnology research assistants) employed in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Titles and earnings vary widely, depending on field, level of education, and employer. In July 2024, Salary.com reported the average annual salary for biotechnology research assistants was $51,500; salaries typically ranged from $45,660 to $56,329. The Department of Labor reported annual earnings for biological technicians, a position similar to a biotechnology research assistant that ranged fr...
Work Environment
Most research assistants work indoors in clean, climate-controlled, pleasant facilities. Many spend most of their time at the business that employs them, checking facts over the phone, finding data on the Internet or in computer databases, searching the company’s records, writing up reports, or conducting laboratory research. Others spend a great deal of time in science and medical libraries, g...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) predicts faster than average employment growth for biological technicians (5 percent), average growth for agricultural technicians (6 percent), and average growth for chemical technicians (3 percent), through 2032. Employment in the biotech industry is expected to be particularly good in the coming years. "Synthetic biology, a relatively new area of biotechnol...