What does a Research Scientist do?
Research scientists are responsible for the investigation of deficits within scientific knowledge. They devise, formulate, and execute investigative protocols and disseminate their insights through the publishing of findings in authoritative publications and documents. They are responsible for securing sufficient and pertinent funding to supplement finances, and they conduct in-house research and presentations; they spearhead data collection and interpretation and work as co-chairs for joint research undertakings.
Research scientists conduct laboratory-based experiments and trials and work in many fields including medicine, political science, computer science, and environmental science. They plan and conduct experiments that become topics of research papers and reports. They collect samples and carry out other types of field research and monitor their experiments by recording and analyzing the data. They demonstrate their procedures and remain current on new developments in scientific research. Research scientists will need a master’s degree in their field of research and to have been previously published in authoritative outlets.
- Initiate, execute and manage validations for new and established methods.
- Help manage external teams in development of product formulations.
- Author and review batch records, protocols, data, and reports.
- Partner with team to review production costs, quality, and demand.
- Help guide new and junior team members within the lab.
- Summarize all project work in a formal end report.
- Communicate effectively to staff and key partners and stakeholders.
- Actively participate in a culture of safe work practices.
- Review data, data notebooks, logbooks, and reports to ensure highest quality.
- Provide thought leadership and technical support on client projects.
- Design and execute key experiments to achieve program goals.
- Able to oversee and participate in a large project portfolio.
- Keep department supervisor and/or manager updated on all issues.
- Develop test cases and code to validate new features.
- Bachelor's or Graduate's Degree in business, business administration, computer science, engineering, or optical engineering or relevant experience.
- Pays strict attention to detail and is comfortable with critical thinking and decision making.
- Experience with Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
- Use leadership skills to consult, collaborate, and problem solve.
- Familiar with natural language processing, deep learning, and able to lead clinical decision support needs.
- Easily applies statistics to work on a daily basis.
- Able to utilize skills in experimental design.
Research Scientist Salaries
Average Base Pay
Research Scientist Career Path
Learn how to become a Research Scientist, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Research Scientist Insights
Safe Engineering Services & technologies“Consistent and good sized raises offered so I can focus on the work and that work is rewarded.”
Leidos“The long term goals are limitless and anyone could find a great career path here.”
Finless Foods“My projects are really interesting and I'm getting a lot of experience unrelated to my background”
Institute for Infocomm Research“And the pay is not good enough that it is worth managing this kind of workload.”
Terracon“The people I work with everyday are great and make what I'm doing better.”
Rules-Based Medicine“Lower levels are welcoming and friendly but the actions of upper reminds you profit comes first at the end of the day.”
Eurofins Scientific“Some of the people are really good and amazing to work with and they are the only thing that really makes it manageable.”
Fate Therapeutics“level managers (starting from Principle scientist and goes all the way to the top).”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of research scientists
A typical day for a Research scientists involves spending the majority of the work day developing and administering experiments. In addition to monitoring experiments, they record and analyze data, write reports and research papers, collect samples, and complete various types of field work. They are often responsible for supervising junior staff members.
Research science is a great career for those looking to improve the world, or even just their field of interest. The fields available for research science are numerous, so there is potential to have a niche job in this career, tailored to your skills and interests.
Yes, successful research scientists get paid well. The average base pay of a research scientist in the United States is $6,000 per year, but their salary can vary depending on location and experience. Highly experienced data analysts can make up to $8,000 per year.
Working as a research scientist can be challenging at time as they occasionally have to work outside of the typical 9-5 work day when conducting research experiments that need to be monitored. This can include longer hours during the work week or weekends.