Zoology, Evolution & Organismal Biology

Studying whole creatures—insects, birds, reptiles, apes, fossils—and the evolution that produced them, in the field and in natural history museums.

Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship

• Entomologist: Studies insects—from pollinators and crop pests to disease-carrying mosquitoes. Typical pay $72k.
• Medical Entomologist: Studies mosquitoes, ticks, and other bugs that spread diseases like West Nile, Lyme, and malaria. Typical pay $80k.
• Herpetologist: Studies reptiles and amphibians—snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and salamanders. Typical pay $74k.
• Ornithologist: Studies birds—their migration, songs, behavior, and conservation. Typical pay $65k.
• Primatologist: Studies apes and monkeys—how they live, think, communicate, and survive. Typical pay $78k.
• Animal Behaviorist (Ethologist): Studies why animals act the way they do—courtship, communication, learning, and fear. Typical pay $72k.
• Paleontologist: Digs up and studies fossils to learn about dinosaurs and ancient life. Typical pay $80k.
• Natural History Museum Curator: Researches and oversees a museum's collection of animals, plants, fossils, or insects. Typical pay $90k.
• Comparative Physiologist: Studies how animals' bodies work—how penguins dive, how hummingbirds hover, how frogs survive freezing. Typical pay $90k.
• Taxonomist: Discovers, names, and classifies species—there are millions still undescribed. Typical pay $75k.
• Bee Researcher (Apiculturist): Studies honeybees and wild bees to keep pollinators healthy. Typical pay $65k.
• Natural History Collections Manager: Cares for and catalogs millions of preserved animals, plants, or fossils in a museum. Typical pay $60k.
• Ichthyologist: Scientist who studies fish: their evolution, anatomy, and diversity. Typical pay $78k.
• Mammalogist: Studies mammals, from bats and rodents to bears and whales. Typical pay $75k.
• Malacologist: Studies snails, clams, mussels, squid, and other mollusks. Typical pay $70k.
• Nematologist: Studies tiny roundworms, including ones that damage crops and ones that help scientists study genes. Typical pay $82k.
• Biomimicry Specialist: Studies how nature solves problems and turns those ideas into products and designs. Typical pay $75k.
• Animal Biomechanist: Studies how animals move: how geckos climb, birds fly, and fish swim. Typical pay $80k.
• Natural Sound Archivist: Curates huge libraries of recorded animal sounds, from bird songs to frog calls, so scientists, apps and filmmakers can use them. Typical pay $60k.

Starter: fastest way in

• Mosquito / Vector Control Technician: Controls mosquitoes, ticks, and rodents that spread disease in communities. Typical pay $45k.
• Fossil Preparator: Carefully frees fossils from rock and prepares them for study and display. Typical pay $45k.
• Insectary Technician: Raises insects in labs—for research, pest control (like sterile flies), or pollination. Typical pay $42k.
• Museum Collections Assistant: Helps catalog, photograph, and store natural history specimens. Typical pay $40k.
• Osteological Preparator: Cleans and prepares animal skeletons for museums and research, often using flesh-eating beetles. Typical pay $42k.
• Cephalopod Culturist: Raises octopuses, squid and cuttlefish in research labs, keeping these clever, fragile animals healthy for brain and behavior studies. Typical pay $48k.

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