What does a Biostatistician do?

Develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences. Day to day that includes work like draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses and Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques.

What skills should a Biostatistician put on a resume?

O*NET rates Mathematics, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making 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 Biostatistician list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Bash, C#, C++, Clinical trials database software, and Data mining software. 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 Biostatistician work?

O*NET records 11 titles for this occupation, including Biometrician, Research Scientist, Statistical Scientist, and Biostatistical Consultant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Biostatistician need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 58% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biostatistician 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.

Biostatistician resume example

A resume for a Biostatistician needs to show the work itself: develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences. Day to day that means work like this: draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses; analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques. 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.

Biometrician
Research Scientist
Statistical Scientist
Biostatistical Consultant
NGS Biostatistician
Bioinformatics Scientist
Biomathematician
Clinical Biostatistician
Next-Generation Sequencing
Research Biostatistician
Statistical Programmer

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.

Draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses.
Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques.
Write detailed analysis plans and descriptions of analyses and findings for research protocols or reports.
Calculate sample size requirements for clinical studies.
Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, and talk with colleagues to keep abreast of methodological or conceptual developments in fields such as biostatistics, pharmacology, life sciences, and social sciences.
Design research studies in collaboration with physicians, life scientists, or other professionals.
Prepare tables and graphs to present clinical data or results.
Write program code to analyze data with statistical analysis software.
Provide biostatistical consultation to clients or colleagues.
Review clinical or other medical research protocols and recommend appropriate statistical analyses.
Develop or implement data analysis algorithms.
Determine project plans, timelines, or technical objectives for statistical aspects of biological research studies.

25 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.

Draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Write detailed analysis plans and descriptions of analyses and findings for research protocols or reports, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Calculate sample size requirements for clinical studies, 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.

Bash
C#
C++
Clinical trials database software
Data mining software
Data visualization software
Database software
Extensible markup language XML
Git
Graphics software
IBM SPSS Statistics
Insightful S-PLUS
JavaScript
Linux

49 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.

Computer data input scanners
Computer laser printers
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Mainframe computers
Personal computers
Plotters

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.

SPSS
Python
R
S-Plus
SAP
SAS
StataCorp Stata
Statistical
SQL
Bash

What this job rates as most important

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

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

Knowledge areas

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

Mathematics
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Medicine and Dentistry

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.

58%Master's Degree
29%Doctoral Degree
13%Bachelor's 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 Biostatistician do?: Develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences. Day to day that includes work like draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses and Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques.
What skills should a Biostatistician put on a resume?: O*NET rates Mathematics, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making 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 Biostatistician list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Bash, C#, C++, Clinical trials database software, and Data mining software. 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 Biostatistician work?: O*NET records 11 titles for this occupation, including Biometrician, Research Scientist, Statistical Scientist, and Biostatistical Consultant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Biostatistician need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 58% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biostatistician 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.