Also called: Biophysicist, Protein Biochemist
Studies the chemistry of living things—proteins, enzymes, DNA—to understand disease and design new medicines.
Starts the morning checking whether last night's protein purification worked, then runs samples through a machine that measures how tightly a drug candidate grabs its target. Afternoon is a team meeting arguing over which molecule to push forward, followed by planning tomorrow's experiments.
BLS May 2024. Industry pays more than universities. Median from BLS; 10th/90th percentiles estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in biochemistry or chemistry; most research-lead roles need a PhD (5-6 years).
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biochemistry, Chemistry, Molecular Biology.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI predicts protein structures and binding, cutting dead-end experiments; designing studies and reading messy lab data stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Calculus, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1021.
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.