Career
Research Scientist
Run experiments to advance knowledge in biology, chemistry, neuroscience, or applied fields.
Median salary
$95K
$55K$164K
2022–2032 outlook
+7%
Faster than averageA day in the life
- 01Run bench experiments or analyse data
- 02Lab meeting to discuss results
- 03Write a paper, grant, or patent
What you'll actually do
- →Design and conduct experiments
- →Analyze data and publish findings
- →Apply for research funding
Majors that lead here
Biology & Pre-Med
Physician (MD/DO), Research Scientist, Pharmacist, Genetic Counselor, Biotech Researcher, Physician Assistant (PA), Veterinarian, Dentist, Public Health Officer, Bioinformatics Analyst
Environmental Science
Environmental Scientist, Conservation Biologist, Sustainability Manager, Climate Policy Analyst, Park Ranger
Data Science & AI
Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Business Intelligence Analyst, AI Researcher, Data Engineer, Quantitative Analyst, Data Analyst, MLOps Engineer, Research Scientist (industry), Decision Scientist
Top colleges for this path
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
8.6% acceptance
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
80% acceptance
NC State University
Raleigh, NC
47% acceptance
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
45.2% acceptance
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
36.2% acceptance
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
9% acceptance
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
41.8% acceptance
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO
78.1% acceptance
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
86.8% acceptance
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
87.5% acceptance
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
41.7% acceptance
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
92.9% acceptance
See how you stack up
Get your personalized match score for colleges strong in this path.