Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Biochemists and Biophysicists

Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. May conduct research to further understanding of the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and heredity. May determine the effects of foods, drugs, serums, hormones, and other substances on tissues and vital processes of living organisms.

Also called: Analytical Research Chemist, Biochemist, Biophysics Researcher, Scientist.

O*NET 19-1021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $127,410; Middle half earn $95,000 to $163,460. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Doctoral Training; 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +6% · Faster than average; 35,600 jobs in 2024, projected 37,600. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Biochemists and biophysicists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences.
Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.
Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology.
Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work.
Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of biological processes.
Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
Design or perform experiments with equipment, such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers.
Determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Science4.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.4 / 5
Writing4.3 / 5
Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
Active Listening4.1 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.7 / 5
Chemistry4.3 / 5
Mathematics4.3 / 5
English Language4.3 / 5
Physics4.0 / 5
Education and Training3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic69
Investigative100
Artistic27
Social19
Enterprising14
Conventional44

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

bioinformatics scientist · DE Bioinformatiker/Bioinformatikerin · FR bioinformaticien/bioinformaticienne
microbiologist · DE Mikrobiologe/Mikrobiologin · FR microbiologiste
biochemist · DE Biochemiker/Biochemikerin · FR biochimiste
biophysicist · DE Biophysiker/Biophysikerin · FR biophysicien/biophysicienne
geneticist · DE Genetiker/Genetikerin · FR généticien/généticienne
immunologist · DE Immunologe/Immunologin · FR immunologiste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 employed
Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.91. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-1021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test