Also called: Shared Instrumentation Director
Runs a center of expensive shared equipment—like electron microscopes or sequencers—used by hundreds of scientists.
Helps a researcher plan a tricky imaging experiment, approves a $2 million instrument purchase, and manages a team of specialists.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. PhD plus technical expertise in the core's instruments.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds image and data processing, but advising scientists, buying instruments and leading specialists stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9121.
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.