Also called: Screening Scientist
Invents the tests that measure whether a drug candidate actually does what it should.
Tinkers with a glowing test that lights up when a drug blocks an enzyme, adjusting temperatures and timing until it works reliably every time. Then hands it to robots that run it on 100,000 compounds.
Industry 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 biology or biochemistry; PhD for senior roles.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Estimate.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI suggests conditions and analyzes plate data; tinkering until an assay works reliably is still hands-on lab craft.
Classes: Chemistry, AP Biology, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1029.
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.