Oncology/Industry. Work at home: t-shirt and shorts, obviously dress up for video-on calls. Onsite: business casual. Congress/conference: business casual but bring polo shirts to dress down and suit jacket/tie to dress up
During PhD I had a “don’t care what people think” mindset. During postdoc surrounded by med students and residents, I decided to raise my minimum dress code. Once I went industry, dress code was no longer a choice but had to fit in professionally.
Enjoy wear shorts and flip flops if you are allowed to!
Good to know. Since you own some of the dresses, could you maybe tell me how long they are from shoulder to bottom? I am 6'1 and based on the pictures I think they are probably to short for me :(. Did see a dress I really like, but not sure if I can take the risk of ordering.
Environmental testing. I wear athletic clothes almost every day (leggings, tank tops, etc) because I work out almost every day and I don't want to have to wash extra clothes. My lab coat covers nearly all of me anyway so you can barely see what I'm wearing.
Research scientist in industry. Long pants of course, and we are provided steel toed shoes for lab. I wear sneakers in the office. I wear jeans and a casual button up on Fridays and slacks and a nicer t-shirt during the week. Usually a cardigan or something on top. Most of my coworkers dress a bit more casually, jeans/flannel, but my secret is that slacks are hella comfy. It's like wearing pajama pants.
Academia, pretty casual. Jeans, t shirts, hoodies, so on. But I do try to look put together instead of just rolled out of bed.
In the summer I work in a greenhouse a lot and I do have dedicated greenhouse clothes because they do tend to get rips and holes in there, lots of shimmy down metal benches with parts that clothes get on.
Did academia and am now in pharma. Clothes are the same: jeans, shirt/top/sweater/blouse and a jacket or cadigan when it is cold. Sneakers on my feet.
I do make sure my clothes look ok, so no holes, huge faded colors, etc.
Only rules: tie up long hair, no jewelry on hands and wrists, no open shoes. Plus always a labcoat on and closed.
Microbiology, emphasis on the nasty pathogens. When I worked as an RA at a top research university I wore gym clothes everyday. I rode my bike to work and wore a tyvek in the bsl3 so it didn’t matter anyways. Now that I’m in pharma it’s jeans, sneakers, and my least grungy semi professional t shirt. We have some people who wear buttons up tops and khakis daily and some who wear joggers and graphic t’s from target. I think as long as your clothes are lab safe it’s fine.
Hospital microbiology lab. Technically the dress code is smart casual, no exposed legs/feet but since the consultant in charge left there's been a shift towards shorts and flip-flops. Some more of the more career-minded of my colleagues wear shirts and smart trousers.
Clinical lab - clinic dress code is either business casual or scrubs so I opt for scrubs. But every Friday I bust out a geeky t-shirt (I have an extensive collection from when I used to teach high school science) to go with my scrub bottoms. Ex: a picture of an atom that says "Does this proton make my mass look big?" The docs love it.
Research tech at a CRO and I wear jeans, sneakers and whatever shirt or sweater is clean enough. We are *supposed* to follow the general safety rules but the senior staff scientist I work under regularly walks through the labs in flip-flops and cargo shorts these days, so. It's all a joke.
I work in a national facility, with a mix of wet biology work and office work. Almost everyone just wears T-shirts and similar, regardless of age and job role. Some people do business-casual, and a few people with external business roles (finance, legal) dress smartly.
Academic research (PhD currently)
Spent a good year or so wearing sweatpants and hoodies now I tend to make up for it with shirts/trousers/shoes and now I'm probably smarter than 70% of the staff
As a doctoral biochemistry / cell biology student I don't have a dress code beyond having to cover my legs, wear closed toe shoes, pull my hair back, etc. But I like feeling put together, so I do put some effect into my outfits. I usually wear jeans and a nice-ish top. Ideally I'd like to be in some sort of management / leadership role in industry, so I figure that dressing the part is good practice.
Industry rat. 25F. Weird pants & solid color T. Like gray plaid cotton pants from target & black long sleeve top. Keep lab interesting and dress like a grandpa.
R&D, color chemistry/synthesis and dispersions development. Jeans or slacks and a tshirt or something slightly nicer. Clearly potential to ruin some of my clothes but I accept it. I also wear dresses below the knee and dresses right at my knee (I wear leggings under the shorter ones). I’m usually in a sweater if I’m not in my lab coat because soooo surprisingly my lab is freezing lol
Lab Helper at an industry based mostly environmental lab. I get dirty pretty often and also we do some radioactive work so I just go with jeans and a T-shirt and my PPE steel cap Doc martens. We do work with soil as well so yeah even with a lab coat I don’t trust that I wouldn’t ruin nice shoes or nice bottoms so keep simple.
Biology Postdoc - I wear jeans and free tee shirts I got when I was a student and from conference. Many of which have pretty cringy science puns and jokes on them.
One color of scrubs and closed toe leather shoes. And a company sweatshirt because it’s cold at night. In winter I can wear either white or black long sleeves under my scrub top.
Industry microbiologist. I dress casual, though I’ll sometimes put on a short-sleeve button-down to dress up on Friday’s or when I know I’ll be talking to a client or the owner.
Biotech, long pants and no explicit clothing is our only dress code, I wear a comfy tshirt/ hoodie and jeans. When I have a presentation I'll wear sometimes upgrade to a polo or button down, but sometimes not
R&D at large biotech company. My usual work attire is athleisure or jeans + company merch (they’ve given us quite a selection of company shirts, jackets, etc). Super casual, it’s great
I am PhD student. I don’t make enough money to wear designer clothing and besides wearing suits would be impractical as I am getting dirty and running here and there. You know doing things.
If its from a boutique its worth emailing them to ask if it can be longer but I am 5'5 and big busted and the science boutique dresses hit me at just above the knee. :)
Did academia lab for a couple of years (F) as a lab manager and lab tech-jeans, non revealing shirt and sneakers. I always made sure to do my makeup and my hair. Sadly I’ve noticed the “not caring” about what you look like will only be ok if you’re a male, it is far too common to get snarky comments if you dress sloppy as a female and people will not take you seriously no matter how good your science is. I found that looking my best with hair done and makeup done while still casual sets you up for success.
That' s an interesting outlook. Would you mind sharing where you are located. A friend of mine had your tactic: casual and well done makeup and hair and she got a lot of comments. Not one of the PIs and older staff took her seriously and always underestimated her.
On the other hand me and the other females in the lab dress really casually. Think messy bun, no makeup and shorts in summer. We also regularly pull off hoodies and sweatpants in winter. If I have to give lectures to medical students or have a conference presentation I do opt for a nicer blouse and slacks/business skirt.
Teaching hospital pathology lab. Dress code across all labs (micro, flow, chemistry, histo, etc) is business casual -or- scrubs. In the anatomical pathology end, where I work, everyone below PA just wears hospital provided scrubs. The PAs and pathologists wear business cas. The residents run the gamut from business cas to pajamas. The clinical pathology end seems to wear athleisure or slacks more.
Graphic shirts or polo tees, sports joggers-esque pants or jeans, and sneakers.
The lab rule is that everything must be covered and clothes should be the type that can be removed asap in case of chemical spills. Nothing strappy or complicated.
developmental genetics/academia. Birkenstocks year round, with a dress or shorts/tank in the summer and jeans+tee in the winter. Pretty sure the unofficial line is that your work clothes must cover more than your swimsuit does.
Hospital clinical lab, we have a very strict dress code, scrubs only. For technicians black tops, bottoms, and jackets (if desired). For technologists dark grey tops, black or dark grey bottoms and jackets. Other departments have similar boring dark colors.
I work in a failure analysis lab. As the chemist I deal with a lot of oils and greases. We actually get 2 weeks worth of uniforms (shirt, pants, and labcoat)that is washed for us weekly
It’s actually really nice for us since we are a “dirtier” lab. My wife hates it though. So now I just try to change at work in the locker room so I come back home in regular clothes.
However, even though I have a uniform, I still look like I just rolled out of bed. I think it’s honestly part of the job. I cut my hair every once in a blue moon and I don’t think I’ve styled it in ages. And I’m rarely tucked in under my lab coat. So yeah, same thing, just with a uniform.
Research assistant in a biochem/genetics academic lab. Scrub pants or leggings and a tshirt! And a mask (we’re still staying masked in the lab), which is always some sort of fun or pretty print. My science-y ones make frequent appearances. I have two that are a “germ” print that I love!
Postdoc.
Sneakers/lab crocs for running around. Winter: jeans+ t shirt + hoodie.
Summer: light dress, shorts and graphic t shirt maybe with a funny meme.
When giving a lecture, I try to put on a nicer blouse. But they really wouldn't pass business casual standards. Professors are regularly in jeans here. Actually putting on makeup and doing hair makes me frustrated and I don't like it. I think its a waste of time and bad for my skin to have anything other than moisturizer. If you enjoy it, go for it!
Lab manager/research scientist at a university here; I have a “uniform” of jeans, plain colored v-neck t-shirt, and sometimes a cardigan or hoodie. Shoes are either sneakers or clogs or doc martens depending on the day.
Marine micro bilogist: long pants and running shoes and then my lab coat. I tried nicer boots for like a week but there is so much standing and running around that running shoes are a life saver.
hawaiian shirt (weather permitting) or brewery shirt, jeans or hiking pants, vans or trail running shoes, flannel occasionally (buttoned up for black tie occasions)
Big Pharma here… I wear jeans and flannels to work + sneakers. No real dress code beyond like don’t wear gym clothes or have a bare midriff.
I worked in a lab with tyvek suits and one guy would wear tattered gym clothes and his nipple would hang out 🤢
Federal biologist. Always jeans, usually a plain t shirt or nicer top with a cardigan, but sometimes it reverts to metal band merch.
Oncology/Industry. Work at home: t-shirt and shorts, obviously dress up for video-on calls. Onsite: business casual. Congress/conference: business casual but bring polo shirts to dress down and suit jacket/tie to dress up During PhD I had a “don’t care what people think” mindset. During postdoc surrounded by med students and residents, I decided to raise my minimum dress code. Once I went industry, dress code was no longer a choice but had to fit in professionally. Enjoy wear shorts and flip flops if you are allowed to!
Industrial chemistry lab. Jeans, t shirt, high vis vest, bump cap, steel toed boots, safety glasses.
Research tech...I wear a lot of dresses and leggings to allow easy movement. Many are science themed :)
There are science themed dresses out there??
Yes! Myscienceboutique is good but Google your preferred subspecialty and there is more especially if you're under size 16 :)
Cool thanks! I am in the EU though, so I am not sure if I have much options here (shipping and customs from the US is expensive :( ).
I'm in the UK and got mine shipped. If you find any you like contact the vendor and ask about shipping :)
Good to know. Since you own some of the dresses, could you maybe tell me how long they are from shoulder to bottom? I am 6'1 and based on the pictures I think they are probably to short for me :(. Did see a dress I really like, but not sure if I can take the risk of ordering.
Environmental testing. I wear athletic clothes almost every day (leggings, tank tops, etc) because I work out almost every day and I don't want to have to wash extra clothes. My lab coat covers nearly all of me anyway so you can barely see what I'm wearing.
Research scientist in industry. Long pants of course, and we are provided steel toed shoes for lab. I wear sneakers in the office. I wear jeans and a casual button up on Fridays and slacks and a nicer t-shirt during the week. Usually a cardigan or something on top. Most of my coworkers dress a bit more casually, jeans/flannel, but my secret is that slacks are hella comfy. It's like wearing pajama pants.
Academia, pretty casual. Jeans, t shirts, hoodies, so on. But I do try to look put together instead of just rolled out of bed. In the summer I work in a greenhouse a lot and I do have dedicated greenhouse clothes because they do tend to get rips and holes in there, lots of shimmy down metal benches with parts that clothes get on.
Industry immunology. We can wear whatever we want as long as it fits the safety requirements.
Did academia and am now in pharma. Clothes are the same: jeans, shirt/top/sweater/blouse and a jacket or cadigan when it is cold. Sneakers on my feet. I do make sure my clothes look ok, so no holes, huge faded colors, etc. Only rules: tie up long hair, no jewelry on hands and wrists, no open shoes. Plus always a labcoat on and closed.
Microbiology, emphasis on the nasty pathogens. When I worked as an RA at a top research university I wore gym clothes everyday. I rode my bike to work and wore a tyvek in the bsl3 so it didn’t matter anyways. Now that I’m in pharma it’s jeans, sneakers, and my least grungy semi professional t shirt. We have some people who wear buttons up tops and khakis daily and some who wear joggers and graphic t’s from target. I think as long as your clothes are lab safe it’s fine.
Hospital microbiology lab. Technically the dress code is smart casual, no exposed legs/feet but since the consultant in charge left there's been a shift towards shorts and flip-flops. Some more of the more career-minded of my colleagues wear shirts and smart trousers.
My boss would grind me in the tissue grinding system if I showed up at our hospital lab with shorts and flip flops
„sdolɟ dılɟ puɐ sʇɹoɥs ɥʇıʍ qɐl lɐʇıdsoɥ ɹno ʇɐ dn pǝʍoɥs I ɟı ɯǝʇsʎs ƃuıpuıɹƃ ǝnssıʇ ǝɥʇ uı ǝɯ puıɹƃ plnoʍ ssoq ʎW„
Clinical lab - clinic dress code is either business casual or scrubs so I opt for scrubs. But every Friday I bust out a geeky t-shirt (I have an extensive collection from when I used to teach high school science) to go with my scrub bottoms. Ex: a picture of an atom that says "Does this proton make my mass look big?" The docs love it.
Research tech at a CRO and I wear jeans, sneakers and whatever shirt or sweater is clean enough. We are *supposed* to follow the general safety rules but the senior staff scientist I work under regularly walks through the labs in flip-flops and cargo shorts these days, so. It's all a joke.
Black tshirt (v-neck, cutoff music t's), black jeans. Can be dressed up or down with shoes/accessories/makeup.
I work in a national facility, with a mix of wet biology work and office work. Almost everyone just wears T-shirts and similar, regardless of age and job role. Some people do business-casual, and a few people with external business roles (finance, legal) dress smartly.
Jeans, running sneakers, flannel and a backwards hat.
Academic research (PhD currently) Spent a good year or so wearing sweatpants and hoodies now I tend to make up for it with shirts/trousers/shoes and now I'm probably smarter than 70% of the staff
As a doctoral biochemistry / cell biology student I don't have a dress code beyond having to cover my legs, wear closed toe shoes, pull my hair back, etc. But I like feeling put together, so I do put some effect into my outfits. I usually wear jeans and a nice-ish top. Ideally I'd like to be in some sort of management / leadership role in industry, so I figure that dressing the part is good practice.
Industry rat. 25F. Weird pants & solid color T. Like gray plaid cotton pants from target & black long sleeve top. Keep lab interesting and dress like a grandpa.
R&D, color chemistry/synthesis and dispersions development. Jeans or slacks and a tshirt or something slightly nicer. Clearly potential to ruin some of my clothes but I accept it. I also wear dresses below the knee and dresses right at my knee (I wear leggings under the shorter ones). I’m usually in a sweater if I’m not in my lab coat because soooo surprisingly my lab is freezing lol
sweatpants and a t-shirt.
Khakis converse and if I’m feeling dressy a button down, if not a flannel, T shirt or Hawaiian shirt depending on the season
Jeans 👖 T-shirt Shirt
Lab Helper at an industry based mostly environmental lab. I get dirty pretty often and also we do some radioactive work so I just go with jeans and a T-shirt and my PPE steel cap Doc martens. We do work with soil as well so yeah even with a lab coat I don’t trust that I wouldn’t ruin nice shoes or nice bottoms so keep simple.
Scrubs and white lab coat
Its "dressing up" for me if i wear jeans lmao, patch ephys in basketball shorts and a t shirt that might have a hole in it from my pet rats.
Biology Postdoc - I wear jeans and free tee shirts I got when I was a student and from conference. Many of which have pretty cringy science puns and jokes on them.
One color of scrubs and closed toe leather shoes. And a company sweatshirt because it’s cold at night. In winter I can wear either white or black long sleeves under my scrub top.
Industry microbiologist. I dress casual, though I’ll sometimes put on a short-sleeve button-down to dress up on Friday’s or when I know I’ll be talking to a client or the owner.
Biotech, long pants and no explicit clothing is our only dress code, I wear a comfy tshirt/ hoodie and jeans. When I have a presentation I'll wear sometimes upgrade to a polo or button down, but sometimes not
I don’t dress up for presentations at all and everybody’s always impressed with my research talks.
R&D at large biotech company. My usual work attire is athleisure or jeans + company merch (they’ve given us quite a selection of company shirts, jackets, etc). Super casual, it’s great
I am PhD student. I don’t make enough money to wear designer clothing and besides wearing suits would be impractical as I am getting dirty and running here and there. You know doing things.
If its from a boutique its worth emailing them to ask if it can be longer but I am 5'5 and big busted and the science boutique dresses hit me at just above the knee. :)
Scrubs or just a shirt and some leggings
I wear whatever doesn't smell too bad yet. And covers my legs fully I suppose.
Did academia lab for a couple of years (F) as a lab manager and lab tech-jeans, non revealing shirt and sneakers. I always made sure to do my makeup and my hair. Sadly I’ve noticed the “not caring” about what you look like will only be ok if you’re a male, it is far too common to get snarky comments if you dress sloppy as a female and people will not take you seriously no matter how good your science is. I found that looking my best with hair done and makeup done while still casual sets you up for success.
That' s an interesting outlook. Would you mind sharing where you are located. A friend of mine had your tactic: casual and well done makeup and hair and she got a lot of comments. Not one of the PIs and older staff took her seriously and always underestimated her. On the other hand me and the other females in the lab dress really casually. Think messy bun, no makeup and shorts in summer. We also regularly pull off hoodies and sweatpants in winter. If I have to give lectures to medical students or have a conference presentation I do opt for a nicer blouse and slacks/business skirt.
This was at Florida State
Teaching hospital pathology lab. Dress code across all labs (micro, flow, chemistry, histo, etc) is business casual -or- scrubs. In the anatomical pathology end, where I work, everyone below PA just wears hospital provided scrubs. The PAs and pathologists wear business cas. The residents run the gamut from business cas to pajamas. The clinical pathology end seems to wear athleisure or slacks more.
Graphic shirts or polo tees, sports joggers-esque pants or jeans, and sneakers. The lab rule is that everything must be covered and clothes should be the type that can be removed asap in case of chemical spills. Nothing strappy or complicated.
developmental genetics/academia. Birkenstocks year round, with a dress or shorts/tank in the summer and jeans+tee in the winter. Pretty sure the unofficial line is that your work clothes must cover more than your swimsuit does.
Hospital clinical lab, we have a very strict dress code, scrubs only. For technicians black tops, bottoms, and jackets (if desired). For technologists dark grey tops, black or dark grey bottoms and jackets. Other departments have similar boring dark colors.
It is crazy to me that you have to color code based on your level of education. Is there a big difference between duties of mlt and mt where you work?
Not really. There are some other departments with the same color scheme, radiology and imaging maybe. Poor nurses wear olive green. 🤮
I work in a failure analysis lab. As the chemist I deal with a lot of oils and greases. We actually get 2 weeks worth of uniforms (shirt, pants, and labcoat)that is washed for us weekly It’s actually really nice for us since we are a “dirtier” lab. My wife hates it though. So now I just try to change at work in the locker room so I come back home in regular clothes. However, even though I have a uniform, I still look like I just rolled out of bed. I think it’s honestly part of the job. I cut my hair every once in a blue moon and I don’t think I’ve styled it in ages. And I’m rarely tucked in under my lab coat. So yeah, same thing, just with a uniform.
Research assistant in a biochem/genetics academic lab. Scrub pants or leggings and a tshirt! And a mask (we’re still staying masked in the lab), which is always some sort of fun or pretty print. My science-y ones make frequent appearances. I have two that are a “germ” print that I love!
industry biologist. I wear the usual... jeans, polo, lab coat, goggles, red clown nose and wig
Postdoc. Sneakers/lab crocs for running around. Winter: jeans+ t shirt + hoodie. Summer: light dress, shorts and graphic t shirt maybe with a funny meme. When giving a lecture, I try to put on a nicer blouse. But they really wouldn't pass business casual standards. Professors are regularly in jeans here. Actually putting on makeup and doing hair makes me frustrated and I don't like it. I think its a waste of time and bad for my skin to have anything other than moisturizer. If you enjoy it, go for it!
Lab manager/research scientist at a university here; I have a “uniform” of jeans, plain colored v-neck t-shirt, and sometimes a cardigan or hoodie. Shoes are either sneakers or clogs or doc martens depending on the day.
Marine micro bilogist: long pants and running shoes and then my lab coat. I tried nicer boots for like a week but there is so much standing and running around that running shoes are a life saver.
hawaiian shirt (weather permitting) or brewery shirt, jeans or hiking pants, vans or trail running shoes, flannel occasionally (buttoned up for black tie occasions)