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Lab Researcher Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

1X Technologies AS

AI Researcher

San Carlos, CA · On-site

$250K - $350K/yr

About the Lab The 1X World Model Lab is an embodied AI research organization focused on pretraining the foundation models to accelerate the emergence of embodied intelligence. As the lab grows ...

Headlands Research

Lab Technician

Escondido, CA · On-site

$24 - $27/hr

The Role: The Laboratory Technician is a key member of the clinical research and laboratory ... The technician will work with sensitive laboratory equipment, maintain a clean and organized lab ...

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All JobsLab Researcher JobsLab Researcher Jobs in California

Lab Researcher information

See California salary details

$29.6K

$111.6K

$162.3K

How much do lab researcher jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average yearly pay for lab researcher in California is $111,621.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $66,100.00 and $152,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a lab researcher?

Lab researchers are professionals who conduct scientific experiments, investigations, and analyses in laboratory settings. They may work in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, or engineering to develop new knowledge, test hypotheses, or create innovative products. Lab researchers are responsible for designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and ensuring that laboratory procedures follow safety protocols. Their work is essential for advancing scientific understanding and technological progress.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a lab researcher?

To thrive as a Lab Researcher, you need a strong background in scientific methods, analytical skills, and a relevant degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field. Familiarity with laboratory equipment, data analysis software, and safety protocols is typically required, along with certifications like GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) when applicable. Attention to detail, critical thinking, and effective communication distinguish top performers in this role. These skills and qualities are crucial for conducting accurate experiments, ensuring safety, and effectively sharing research findings.

What are some common challenges faced by lab researchers when working on collaborative projects?

Lab researchers often work as part of interdisciplinary teams, which can present challenges such as coordinating schedules, aligning research goals, and communicating effectively with colleagues from different backgrounds. Managing shared resources and ensuring consistent documentation are also important aspects. Developing strong organizational and interpersonal skills can help researchers navigate these challenges and contribute effectively to collaborative projects.

What is the difference between Lab Researcher vs Laboratory Technician?

AspectLab ResearcherLaboratory Technician
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field; research experienceAssociate's degree or certification; technical training
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companiesClinical labs, industrial labs, manufacturing facilities
Job FocusDesigning experiments, analyzing data, developing new methodsPerforming routine tests, maintaining equipment, sample preparation

Lab Researchers typically hold higher education degrees and focus on experimental design and data analysis, often working on innovative projects. Laboratory Technicians usually have technical certifications and handle routine testing and equipment maintenance. Both roles are essential in laboratory settings but differ in responsibilities and qualifications.

Do research labs pay well?

Research lab positions, including lab researchers, typically offer salaries that vary based on experience, education, and location. Entry-level roles may have modest pay, while experienced researchers with advanced degrees and specialized skills can earn higher salaries, especially in private or industry-funded labs.

How do you become a lab researcher?

To become a lab researcher, typically a bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as biology, chemistry, or related sciences is required, often followed by specialized training or advanced degrees for more advanced roles. Gaining experience through internships, research projects, or laboratory work helps develop necessary skills, and familiarity with lab equipment and safety protocols is essential.

What are popular job titles related to Lab Researcher jobs in California?

For Lab Researcher jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Lab Researcher jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Lab Researcher jobs in California are:

Lab Researcher jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lab Researcher job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 10% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $111,621 per year, or $53.7 per hour.

LLM Post-Training and Evaluation Researcher (Contract)

Cobalt

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

Other

Posted 3 days ago

New

Job description

About the role:

Cobalt is seeking researchers and engineers with direct experience in language model post-training and evaluation, to produce the expert reasoning and evaluation data frontier labs use to improve model behavior.

This opportunity is suited to people who have worked on the parts of the stack closest to how a model actually behaves: supervised fine-tuning, preference optimization and RLHF, reward modeling, inference-time reasoning methods, and the design of evaluations that hold up. You may have done this in a lab, in industry, or in serious open-source work.

You do not need prior experience in data annotation. What matters is that you understand why models fail in the ways they do, and that you can write the kind of data and criteria that fix it.


What you'll do:

Depending on the project, you may:

  • Produce written reasoning traces and expert reference answers on hard technical problems, at the standard of quality a post-training set requires rather than merely correct answers
  • Author evaluation items and benchmark tasks with verifiable success criteria, including cases specifically designed to separate genuine capability from pattern matching
  • Evaluate and rank model outputs on technical questions, articulating precisely what separates a strong response from one that is fluent but subtly wrong
  • Design rubrics, reward criteria, and partial-credit schemes for multistep tasks, and identify where a criterion would be gameable or would reward the wrong behavior
  • Classify observed failures into a consistent taxonomy, and assess whether a stated conclusion is supported by the underlying reasoning

Projects follow their own guidelines, formatting conventions, and quality standards, and you will work with feedback from reviewers and lab research teams.


Required qualifcations

  • Direct experience with language model post-training or evaluation, such as supervised fine-tuning, preference optimization or RLHF, reward modeling, or benchmark and eval design, whether in research or industry
  • A PhD in a quantitative discipline, or equivalent depth demonstrated through published work, open-source contributions, or production systems
  • Strong coding ability in Python, and working command of at least one deep learning framework
  • Understanding of common failure modes in current models, including reward hacking, sycophancy, and answers that are right for the wrong reasons
  • Ability to explain each step of your reasoning clearly in writing, and to specify criteria precisely enough that another annotator would apply them the same way


Why join Cobalt AI:

  • Advance frontier AI where it counts. Apply your expertise to data that frontier labs cannot obtain any other way, where your reasoning directly shapes how the next generation of models works through technical problems.
  • Grow professionally. Expand your influence through evaluation projects, advisory roles, and research collaborations, while developing a working understanding of how frontier models are trained and assessed.
  • Work with a top-tier network. Collaborate with researchers and engineers from leading institutions and labs on high-impact, flexible work.
  • Set your own schedule. Flexible 10 to 40 hour weeks that fit around your existing work and your life.
  • Competitive pay. Rates vary by project and are determined by a number of factors, including scope, skillset, and experience.

Apply