Biofoundry Technician

Also called: Lab Automation Technician, Robotics Lab Technician

Runs and maintains the lab robots that build and test engineered cells.

A day in the life

Loads plates and reagents into liquid-handling robots, restarts a run that jammed, and keeps the automated lab running around the clock.

Pay over a career

Starting

$40k

Typical

$52k

High

$66k

Estimate.

Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.

Training

Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate or bachelor's in biotechnology; on-the-job training.

Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.

Majors to look at: Biotechnology.

Outlook

Growing faster than average. Growing.

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Robots get more reliable and self-monitoring, so one tech covers many more machines; loading, repair and restarts stay human for now.

Start now, in high school

Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Robotics or engineering CTE.

• FIRST Robotics team
• Dual-enroll in a community-college biotech class
• Amgen Biotech Experience lab

Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4021.

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Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.