Also called: Neurobiologist
Studies how the brain and nervous system work—and what goes wrong in diseases like Alzheimer's.
Records the electrical activity of neurons in a mouse learning a maze, then analyzes which cells fire when it remembers the right turn. Writes papers and grant proposals between experiments.
BLS medical scientists, May 2024; academic postdocs earn ~$60k. 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. PhD in neuroscience (5-6 years) plus postdoc training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Follows BLS medical scientists 2024-34.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI decodes neural recordings and drafts grant text; running animal experiments and forming new theories stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Psychology, Statistics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1042.
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.