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17 Best Biochemistry Gifts (in 2024)
Last updated: December 4th, 2024
The internet isn't exactly overflowing with biochemistry-themed gifts and they are hard to find if you aren't a biochemist yourself. This list helps get rid of the kitsch like printed chemistry mugs and periodic table joke t-shirts to narrow it down to items they will truly love and keep for a long time.
This list ties together our favorite gifts for scientists from around the internet. Some are our own Genius Lab Gear inventions and some we’re just jealous we didn’t think of first! Some links in this page contain affiliate links, which means that any purchase of the items after clicking the link will result in a small monetary referral fee paid back to Genius Lab Gear at no cost to you. We appreciate your support which allows us to continue inventing and testing the best tools for chemists on the planet!
1. The Pocket Chemist - Molecule Stencil and Chemistry Pocket Reference
If you've already spent hours looking for gifts for biochemists or biochemistry students, you can stop here.
"This would have made my life 10x easier!" - said one chemist during our first Instagram giveaway. The only solvent-proof and wallet-sized organic chemistry stencil available, this little tool will help your favorite biochemist draw beautiful chemical reactions and save them time referencing important physical constants.
Not sure? It was even featured in the 2019 Holiday Gift Guide from the authority Chemical & Engineering News magazine!.
You can also add a custom logo to this for events, networking, or promotional giveaways! Custom orders start at 100 pieces - just email us for more info.
To see how it's used, check the 45-second video below:
Get it with free shipping from our website or on Amazon using the links below!
The Pocket Chemist at Genius Lab Gear
The Pocket Chemist from Amazon
How to use The Pocket Chemist – Full Feature Guide
2. Chemistry and Microbiology Word Magnets for the fridge or fume hood
Science-themed gifts are rarely as entertaining and enduring as our science-themed word magnet sets! We recently launched these to encourage creativity and self-expression in labs, classrooms and offices. Each specialty pack comes with 144 tiles carefully designed by a PhD in that field for technical accuracy and tacit absurdity.
The Chemistry Word Magnet set was designed with help from professional chemists and chemistry teachers, who chose words to make it both science-y and humorous. Combine it with the Microbiology Word Magnet set for a customized creative experience for biochemists. These are just plain fun!
Also now available on Amazon.
3. Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game
This Cytosis board game from Genius Games is yet another fun science game, this time focus on the processes of cells. These games are created by people with PhDs who make sure everything is accurate. They even include a detailed booklet explaining the concepts of the game in a longer educational format (totally optional)! The board game concepts will be fundamental but fun to a graduate level biochemistry student, but it's a fun way to introduce them to younger siblings, nieces and nephews who might be thinking about a STEM career. Playing a game like this, I see biochemists' passions shine through and kids pick up on that. Try it out!
4. Rocketbook Matrix cloud-connected reusable paper notebook
This is my favorite clever invention. It was inevitable. Rocketbook finally solved the problem of merging your hand-written notes into your favorite digital services. You simply use their app to take a photo of your pages of notes and the QR code and marked symbols on each page trigger the app to send the digitized page to any of the 9 pre-set digital destinations you choose. This includes OneNote, Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox and even specific emails. Want a shortcut to send notes via email straight to your colleague or boss? This is what you’re looking for.
The Rocketbook Matrix is my personal favorite because it's designed for more technical work. It's got 30 pages of graphing paper and one regular lined page for taking notes, plus a built-in ruler on the inside cover. Did I mention they are resuable? Use their "Pilot Frixion" pens and then wipe the page with a damp cloth after uploading your notes to use it all over again (and win one for the environment!).
Check the price on Amazon.
5. Periodic Table of Elements Lanyard
Take your lanyard to the next level with this colorful and fun element theme! The lanyard's black background lets the periodic table of elements pop on each side. It's a little sciencey splash for your next conference or keeping your badge safe around the office.
Check on Amazon.
6. Pipette Ninja or Marie Curie stickers
Are they a pipette ninja? Someone who deftly transfers precise volumes of liquids to and from a chemical reaction? Designate them an official Pipette Ninja with our Pipette Ninja sticker!
Marie Curie was a Nobel prize-winning chemist (and physicist) who shattered the glass ceiling and stayed true to her passions for scientific discovery. This Marie Curie silhouette sticker coveys a cute but meaningful message - "Stay Curie-ous" in honor of her life and mission.
Both of these are perfect gifts under $5 for adding to a biochemistry student's laptop, thermos or notebook!
7. Biochemistry Quick Study Reference Guide
These QuickStudy reference guides are really popular among students because they save time and prevent distractions when you would otherwise use your phone to look something up.
The Biochemistry Quick Study guide includes essential reference information to help a biochem major through all four years of college and might still be helpful in graduate school. It's an easy stocking stuffer that won't go to waste!
8. Cute biology-themed sticker set
For the women in biochemistry who love to deck out their laptop, thermos, and notebooks to keep it fun and lighthearted - this inexpensive 50-pack of cute biology-themed stickers gives them a ton of options. Another great stocking stuffer (pair it with the Biology Word Magnets above)!
9. Louis Pasteur Wine Quote Canvas
Biochemists are some of the biggest sommeliers I know. Maybe because wine is made by fermentation, one of the first biochemistry reactions ever mastered by humans. This little 5x7 inch canvas by renowned biochemist Louis Pasteur is usually hung near a desk or is thick enough to stand upright on its own.
10. DIY Gin-making kit of Craft Beer kit
If wine isn't their first choice, biochemists also have a reputation for being fascinated by gins and homebrewing. Nearly every one I've known either wanted to open their own brewery or distillery, and some universities even often elective classes on alcohol production. It's a fun way to use their extensive training!
If your biochemist enjoys craft beverages, one of these kits is an excellent way to open a door to something they could one day turn into their life's passion. My favorite kits are this gin-making kit and this amber ale brew kit.
11. New 100% Cotton Lab Coats designed for Chemists
Most biochemists I know wear lab coats daily. And most of them hate their lab coats. That's why we spent 3 years designing and modifying a lab coat that chemists love! Released in 2024, the Louis and Curie lab coats are consistently reviewed as "the best lab coat I've ever had".
For biochemistry labs specifically, the tapered knit cuffs are especially important for protecting wrists from chemicals keeping clunky oversized cuffs from knocking over expensive glassware. We also made sure to use 100% cotton, which is typically required in chemistry laboratories. The two versions are tailored to fit male and female builds differently, with a wide size range and adjustable belt so biochemists can finally feel great in their lab coat at work.
This is one to clue them in about beforehand so you can get the sizing right and make sure it meets their lab safety requirements! Or, you can grab a refundable $75 gift card to let them grab their own lab coat plus a pocket protector!
12. Periodic Table Scarf
Biochemists are surely big chemistry nerds and women in biochemistry love to geek out over chemistry fashion like this periodic table-themed scarf. It's made of 100% polyester and is silky and comfy to wear. Aside from fashion, it’s a practical gift to help keep them warm in cold weather.
13. Lab Coat Pocket Protector
Biochemists fuse two difficult skill sets - biology and chemistry - and need a wide array of tools at hand to keep up with them. But how do you organize them all at arm’s reach?
The venerable Pocket Protector became a cultural icon in the 1960's and 1970's, but somewhere along the way the newer generation of STEM researchers forgot about them. Biochemists need these back in their labs to stay organized, stay efficient, protect their work clothes, and finish their experiments without being late to lunch. So we researched and tested every type ever made to methodically solve each problem and come up with this refreshed design.
Available in spruce green, sapphire blue, and faded pink - the top 3 colors voted on by our fans! You can even get it from our Amazon page if that's easier.
Check the price on Amazon.
14. Chemistry Molecules Coffee Mug
Who doesn't enjoy a cup of coffee? Biochemists often work long hours, especially in research laboratories. This Greenline Goods’ beaker mug, which features a diagram of the molecules found in coffee, is the ideal way for a science nerd to start the day. It's the perfect gift for a coffee aficionado, as well as an effective item to remind them of their passion for science at home.
15. Best books for biochemists to read for pleasure (not textbooks!)
Biochemists spend a ton of time reading textbooks and journal articles. It’s important to occasionally break that cycle and dive into a book for pleasure. Below are a few of our favorite science-related books that will be an enjoyable read for a biochemist.
Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking
This book finally made cooking enjoyable for me. It's always been one of those imprecise arts where you just follow the directions and hope to get it about right. As a scientist, understanding what I'm doing is paramount. This cookbook walks you through the chemistry behind your every-day cooking recipes so you can make adjustments and improvements by logic, not guesswork! Any biochemist would love to have this book to apply their advanced knowledge of chemistry to something they do every day.
The Drunken Botanist
This is a favorite book of scientists who share a love for the diverse world of booze. It focuses on the sometimes exotic or mundane plants used to create the world's beverages and the biological and chemical processes involved in the transition. Any biochemist with an interest in this subject would love this book and be armed with fun facts and in-depth knowledge of everything they sip on.
The Machinery of Life - Visual reference book of biochemistry mechanisms
This famous book The Machinery of Life does what modern microscopes still struggle to do: visualize the microscopic cellular processes that biochemists must study and understand.
The author painstakingly and beautifully illustrated accurate shapes and cellular mechanisms to help students visualize what they are learning, which often helps retention and intuition. It's an essential desk reference for any biochemistry student or PhD.
The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Chemistry isn't always used for good, and I loveThe Poison Squad because it highlights what can go wrong if profits are put ahead of people.
In the late 1800's industrial chemistry was outpacing food science and there were almost no studies of human health to measure their effects. One man spearheaded a decades-long effort to put the food companies back into check and prevent them from adding poisons to our foods. The book wonderfully weaves the cast of oddball characters into the political and corporate struggles pitting science vs. business leading up to the 1906 Food and Drug Act that changed the way we produce food.
It sits squarely at the intersection of biology and chemistry that any biochemist would love to explore in depth.
More recommended books for Graduate Students:
If the person you have in mind is also a graduate student, take a look at our new list of The Best Books to Make You a Better Grad Student.
16. Subscription to AI-powered Research and Writing Software (SciSpace)
Biochemists and biochemistry grad students have to keep track of a huge amount of information to complete their research and write newspapers. Luckily, AI is now ready to help! SciSpace is a new software tool that combines AI search engines with reference/bibliography management to quickly get answers to highly technical questions - all sourced from peer-reviewed journals.
The Copilot feature is my favorite! It can scan those clunky PDF files to make summaries and even pull tables out into an editable format! That would have saved me hundreds of hours in grad school...The other neat thing is that it lets you take notes on every journal article, link it to that file, and search your notes later with the AI engine.
The best move here is to gift them a 1-year subscription! Just create an account here with your email, and then print out the login details to put into a gift box for the big day! They can move the account to their email address right after.
17. Biochemistry Gift Bundle
If you can't decide by now, I can still help! Consider this decision made. I put together a Biochemistry Gift Bundle just to make it easy for you. It includes the Pocket tool and Word Magnets from above, plus a few fun science stickers. You'll save over 20% by bundling them together, so consider this decision made!
- Chemistry Word Magnets
- Science Basics Word Magnets
- Starter Word Magnets (144 tiles of connector words)
- The Pocket Chemist Organic Chemistry Stencil (Homework Edition)
- The Pocket Chemist Organic Chemistry Stencil (Exam Edition)
- Pipette Ninja sticker
- Science is for Everyone sticker
- Stay Curie-ous Marie Curie sticker
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What's a good gift for a biochemist?
Biochemists are hard to buy gifts for. This list will help!
- The Pocket Chemist
- Chemistry and Microbiology Word Magnets
- Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game
- Rocketbook Matrix cloud-connected reusable paper notebook
- Periodic Table of Elements Lanyard
- Pipette Ninja or Marie Curie Stickers
- Biochemistry Quick Study Reference Guide
- Cutie Biology-themed sticker set
- Louis Pasteur wine quote canvas
- DIY Gin Kit or Craft Beer Kit
- New 100% Cotton Lab Coats Designed for Chemists
- Chemistry of Cooking book
- The Machinery of Life: Visual Reference Book of Chemistry Mechanisms
- The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety at the turn of the 20th Century
- Periodic Table Scarf
- Pocket Protector for lab coats
- Chemistry Molecules Coffee Mug
- Subscription to AI-powered Research and Writting Software (SciSpace)
- Biochemistry Gift Bundle
What should you get a biochemistry student?
Any biochemistry student is going through a challenging course load. The most appreciated gift would be The Pocket Chemist, which can help them get through homework faster and turn in spectacularly neat chemical reactions! It's basically a pocket tool for chemistry and biochemistry students.
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