Research Lab Manager

Also called: Laboratory Manager

Keeps a research lab running: ordering supplies, managing safety, training students, and fixing problems.

A day in the life

You order liquid nitrogen, keep instruments serviced, onboard new grad students, and make sure the lab passes safety inspections.

Pay over a career

Starting
$55k
Typical
$80k
High
$120k

Lab managers earn well below natural sciences managers overall.

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

Training

Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in science plus lab experience.

Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.

Majors to look at: Chemistry, Physics, Biology.

Outlook

Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years).

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with ordering and scheduling, but running a safe lab and training people stays hands-on.

Start now, in high school

Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Physics, Business.

Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9121.

More Science Careers Beyond the Lab careers

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.