What does a Biochemists and Biophysicist do?

Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. Day to day that includes work like share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences and Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.

What skills should a Biochemists and Biophysicist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Science, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Biochemists and Biophysicist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes 3D graphics software, Accelrys Cerius2, Accelrys FELIX, Accelrys Insight II, and Accelrys QAUNTA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Biochemists and Biophysicist work?

O*NET records 20 titles for this occupation, including Analytical Research Chemist, Biochemist, Biophysics Researcher, and Scientist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Biochemists and Biophysicist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 40% reported their level of education as "Post-Doctoral Training". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biochemists and Biophysicist role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Biochemists and Biophysicist resume example

A resume for a Biochemists and Biophysicist needs to show the work itself: study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. Day to day that means work like this: share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences; teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Analytical Research Chemist
Biochemist
Biophysics Researcher
Scientist
R&D Scientist
Biochemistry Scientist
Biological Chemist
Biophysicist
Clinical Biochemist
Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Clinical Researcher
Forensic Toxicologist
Formulation Scientist
Pharmaceutical Scientist
Physical Biochemist
Protein Biochemist
Protein Biochemistry Scientist
Research and Development Scientist

O*NET records 20 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences.
Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.
Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology.
Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work.
Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of biological processes.
Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
Design or perform experiments with equipment, such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers.
Determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules.
Design or build laboratory equipment needed for special research projects.
Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes.
Study spatial configurations of submicroscopic molecules, such as proteins, using x-rays or electron microscopes.
Study the chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, or living energy changes, such as growth, aging, or death.

24 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

3D graphics software
Accelrys Cerius2
Accelrys FELIX
Accelrys Insight II
Accelrys QAUNTA
Adobe Photoshop
Analysis and building software
Assisted model building with energy refinement AMBER
AutoQuant AutoDeblur
Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST
Carrier-mediated transport software
Chang Bioscience ToolKit
ChemInnovation Software Chem 4-D
Chemistry at Harvard Molecular Mechanics CHARMm

73 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Amino acid analyzers
Analytical balances
Analytical ultracentrifuges
Argon lasers
Atomic force microscopes
Auto gamma counters
Autoclaves
Automated electrophoresis equipment
Automatic pipetters
Automatic x ray film developers
Balances
Basic vapor pressure osmometers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

3D graphics
Accelrys Cerius2

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Science
02Reading Comprehension
03Critical Thinking
04Writing
05Active Learning
06Active Listening
07Complex Problem Solving
08Speaking
09Judgment and Decision Making
10Learning Strategies

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Biology
Chemistry
English Language
Mathematics
Physics
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics
Engineering and Technology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

40%Post-Doctoral Training
25%Bachelor's Degree
25%Doctoral Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Biochemists and Biophysicist do?: Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. Day to day that includes work like share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences and Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.
What skills should a Biochemists and Biophysicist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Science, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Biochemists and Biophysicist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes 3D graphics software, Accelrys Cerius2, Accelrys FELIX, Accelrys Insight II, and Accelrys QAUNTA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Biochemists and Biophysicist work?: O*NET records 20 titles for this occupation, including Analytical Research Chemist, Biochemist, Biophysics Researcher, and Scientist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Biochemists and Biophysicist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 40% reported their level of education as "Post-Doctoral Training". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biochemists and Biophysicist role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.