Also called: Laboratory Manager
Keeps a research lab running: ordering supplies, managing safety, training students, and fixing problems.
You order liquid nitrogen, keep instruments serviced, onboard new grad students, and make sure the lab passes safety inspections.
Lab managers earn well below natural sciences managers overall.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
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.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with ordering and scheduling, but running a safe lab and training people stays hands-on.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Physics, Business.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9121.
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.