Biomedical Researcher
Impact: Advancing scientific knowledge, developing new therapies, and improving public health.
Conducts scientific investigations to advance medical knowledge, develop new treatments, and improve human health outcomes through laboratory experiments and data analysis.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 70% Team / 30% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 5-15% for conferences and collaborations
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Limited Remote
- Typical work hours
- 45-55 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $110,000
- Entry-level
- $70,000 - $95,000
- Senior
- $150,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 6% (average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High to 80-120% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $100,000 - $200,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Culture
- Data Analysis
- Statistical Software
- Grant Writing
- Scientific Writing
- Lab Techniques
- Bioinformatics
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Attention to Detail
Technical complexity: Very High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Doctoral or Professional Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-15 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Research Scientist
- Senior Research Scientist
- Principal Investigator/Lab Head
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 20% to low risk
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.9/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 3/10
- Prestige
- 8.5/10
- Social perception
- Very High