Also called: Astro-microbiologist
Studies microbes that live in boiling acid, Antarctic ice, or deep rock, clues to where life could exist elsewhere.
You rappel into a cave or sample a deep-sea vent, then grow the microbes in a lab under brutal conditions. Your results guide where missions look for life.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. PhD in microbiology for research jobs; lab roles with a bachelor's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Microbiology, Biology, Biochemistry.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps read DNA data; collecting microbes from extreme places and growing them stays human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Earth science, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.