Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ICR

Bioinformatics Scientists

Conduct research using bioinformatics theory and methods in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. May design databases and develop algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic information, or other biological information.

Also called: Bioinformaticist, Computational Biology Scientist, Research Associate, Research Scientist, Bioinformatics Programmer, Bioinformatics Research Associate, Scientist.

O*NET 19-1029.01

At a glance

US median annual pay: $98,920; Middle half earn $76,800 to $127,670. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Master's Degree; 42% 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.

What the work involves

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

Consult with researchers to analyze problems, recommend technology-based solutions, or determine computational strategies.
Provide statistical and computational tools for biologically based activities, such as genetic analysis, measurement of gene expression, or gene function determination.
Analyze large molecular datasets, such as raw microarray data, genomic sequence data, or proteomics data, for clinical or basic research purposes.
Create novel computational approaches and analytical tools as required by research goals.
Compile data for use in activities, such as gene expression profiling, genome annotation, or structural bioinformatics.
Communicate research results through conference presentations, scientific publications, or project reports.
Test new and updated bioinformatics tools and software.
Design and apply bioinformatics algorithms including unsupervised and supervised machine learning, dynamic programming, or graphic algorithms.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.4 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.9 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.7 / 5
English Language4.4 / 5
Engineering and Technology4.3 / 5
Mathematics4.3 / 5
Chemistry3.9 / 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.

Realistic47
Investigative100
Artistic25
Social11
Enterprising4
Conventional67

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)

biometrician · DE Biometriker/Biometrikerin · FR biométricien/biométricienne
bioinformatics scientist · DE Bioinformatiker/Bioinformatikerin · FR bioinformaticien/bioinformaticienne
physiologist · DE Physiologe/Physiologin · FR physiologiste
biochemist · DE Biochemiker/Biochemikerin · FR biochimiste
biophysicist · DE Biophysiker/Biophysikerin · FR biophysicien/biophysicienne
geneticist · DE Genetiker/Genetikerin · FR généticien/généticienne

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 +1.01. 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 (19-1029).

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