What does a chemist do?
Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.
Chemist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real chemist resumes:
- Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
- Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
- Perform analysis of drug substance and drug product using HPLC, GC, dissolution and UV/VIS.
- Utilize IR, AA, UV, HPLC and other chemical analysis equipment to assess product quality.
- Prepare solutions to run on HPLC, ICP and AA instruments.
- Involve in operation and preventative maintenance of LC/MS, GC/FID, and HPLC instrumentation.
- Perform calibration and maintenance of HPLC, GC/MS, LC/MS-MS, UV/VIS, and laboratory balances.
- Conduct various problem-solving projects using various instruments such as ICP, FTIR, NMR, GC/MS, UV and HPLC.
- Well verse in spectral analysis (HPLC, LC-MS, GC, NMR, UV-VIS) and proper laboratory documentation practices.
- Develop and validate impurity HPLC methods and impurity profiling and quantitative analysis on LC/MS and LC/MS/TOFL equipment.
- Perform work as a chemical analyst in a GMP production/ FDA regulate facility that manufacture pediatric and medical nutritional products.
- Utilize wet chemistry methods to perform qualitative analysis of physical properties and active ingredient profile, perform cleaning validations with FTIR.
- Follow OSHA guidelines as mandated through the federal government.
- Adhere with company and government regulations (OSHA).
- Perform KF and IC testing for internal and external customers.
Chemist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Chemists are proficient in Chemistry, Lab Equipment, and Test Results. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Chemists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Chemistry, 20%
Provide support to Technical Services Department in cleaning, packing and manufacturing investigations along with validation protocols in the Chemistry laboratory.
- Lab Equipment, 7%
Designed and fabricated pilot scale lab equipment simulating specific industrial processes to demonstrate the feasibility of novel chemical application concepts.
- Test Results, 7%
Recognized atypical, out-of-specification, or known laboratory errors on test results, instrument malfunctions, or methodology problems.
- Product Development, 5%
Helped plan, initiate, and conduct product development for solvent-based acrylic and block polymer rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesives.
- Method Development, 5%
Involved in instrument maintenance and troubleshooting, data validation, method development, and assisting department in pesticide and herbicide analysis.
- HPLC, 5%
Identified protein and polymer-protein conjugates by size-exclusion and reversed phase HPLC.
Common skills that a chemist uses to do their job include "chemistry," "lab equipment," and "test results." You can find details on the most important chemist responsibilities below.
Math skills. One of the key soft skills for a chemist to have is math skills. You can see how this relates to what chemists do because "chemists and materials scientists regularly use calculus, algebra, statistics, and other math for calculations." Additionally, a chemist resume shows how chemists use math skills: "perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of nutritional supplement via icp-oes using cgmps and sops while working in an fda controlled environment. "
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling chemist duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "chemists and materials scientists must document processes carefully when conducting experiments, tracking outcomes, and analyzing results." According to a chemist resume, here's how chemists can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "provided formal training to new recruits based on glp, gmp and organizational guidelines. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for chemists to perform their duties. For an example of how chemist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "chemists’ and materials scientists’ work involves posing questions during research and finding answers through results." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a chemist: "conducted various problem-solving projects using various instruments such as icp, ftir, nmr, gc/ms, uv and hplc. ".
Analytical skills. A big part of what chemists do relies on "analytical skills." You can see how essential it is to chemist responsibilities because "chemists and materials scientists need to evaluate the results of experiments to ensure accuracy in their research." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical chemist tasks: "performed environmental testing for chemical/pharmaceutical companies in order to provide data to meet epa and fda requirements. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a chemist to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what chemists relies on this skill, since "chemists and materials scientists must be able to convey information clearly in reports and presentations for both technical and nontechnical audiences." How this skill relates to chemist duties can be seen in an example from a chemist resume snippet: "prepared written communications for submittal to fda. "
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what a chemist does. Chemist responsibilities require this skill because "chemists and materials scientists usually need to meet deadlines and must be able to prioritize tasks while maintaining quality." This resume example highlights how chemist duties rely on this skill: "automated manual extraction to save time and consistently met deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most chemists are:
- Eurofins30 chemists jobs
- Clean Harbors27 chemists jobs
- Church & Dwight Co.25 chemists jobs
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Compare different chemists
Chemist vs. Postdoctoral research associate
A postdoctoral research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, chemist responsibilities require skills like "lab equipment," "test results," "product development," and "method development." Meanwhile a typical postdoctoral research associate has skills in areas such as "python," "research projects," "post-doctoral," and "cell culture." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Postdoctoral research associates tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $69,999. In contrast, chemists make the biggest average salary, $75,495, in the manufacturing industry.postdoctoral research associates tend to reach higher levels of education than chemists. In fact, postdoctoral research associates are 5.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 44.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Chemist vs. Quality control associate
In a manufacturing setting, a quality control associate is in charge of conducting various tests to ensure that the products meet the company's standard criteria. Their responsibilities revolve around inspecting the workforce and workload involved in the production process, identifying errors or inconsistencies, recommending solutions and alterations, and maintaining records and documentation. Furthermore, as a quality control associate, it is essential to coordinate with department staff and produce progress reports, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real chemist resumes. While chemist responsibilities can utilize skills like "chemistry," "lab equipment," "product development," and "ms," quality control associates use skills like "qc," "laboratory equipment," "data entry," and "endotoxin."
On average, quality control associates earn a lower salary than chemists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, quality control associates earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $54,631. Whereas chemists have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $75,495.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Quality control associates tend to reach similar levels of education than chemists. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 44.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Chemists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Betsy Smith
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College
Chemist vs. Laboratory analyst
A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a chemist is likely to be skilled in "chemistry," "product development," "analytical techniques," and "troubleshoot," while a typical laboratory analyst is skilled in "laboratory procedures," "math," "microbiological," and "data entry."
Laboratory analysts earn the best pay in the pharmaceutical industry, where they command an average salary of $47,806. Chemists earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $75,495.When it comes to education, laboratory analysts tend to earn similar degree levels compared to chemists. In fact, they're 3.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Chemist vs. Assistant research scientist
An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between chemists and assistant research scientists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a chemist might have more use for skills like "test results," "product development," "ms," and "uv/vis." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of assistant research scientists require skills like "research projects," "data collection," "cell culture," and "laboratory equipment. "
In general, assistant research scientists earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $71,080. The highest-paying industry for a chemist is the manufacturing industry.In general, assistant research scientists hold higher degree levels compared to chemists. Assistant research scientists are 5.3% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 12.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of chemist
Updated January 8, 2025
