Also called: Bioprocess Scientist, Precision Fermentation Scientist
Uses microbes like yeast and bacteria to make foods, from yogurt and kombucha to animal-free milk proteins.
You grow yeast in big stainless steel tanks called bioreactors, tracking temperature, sugar, and oxygen. Some days you're engineering microbes to produce egg proteins without chickens; others you're figuring out why a batch went sour.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in microbiology, biochemistry, or food science; PhD for lead roles.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Food Science, Bioengineering.
Growing much faster than average. Alternative-protein and biotech food startups are hiring, though funding is up and down.
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds strain design and data analysis; running bioreactors and scaling up processes stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Statistics.
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.