Glossary
Biochemist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential biochemist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key biochemist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in biochemist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Assay
- Test that measures something.
- Cell culture
- Growing cells.
- Chromatography
- Separates molecules.
- Enzyme
- Protein that speeds reactions.
- Grant
- Research funding.
- Hypothesis
- Testable prediction.
- Kinetics
- Reaction rates.
- Mass spectrometry
- Measures molecular mass.
- PCR
- Copies DNA.
- Peer review
- Expert review of research.
- Postdoc
- Research training after a Ph.D.
- Protein
- Molecule made of amino acids.
- Protocol
- Study procedure.
- Replication
- Repeating results.
- Western blot
- Detects proteins.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Biochemist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Biochemist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.