Career
Biochemists and biophysicists
Study the chemistry and physics of living things.
$127,410
Median pay
+12.3%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,900
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Science, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $127,410 a year and 2,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologySee the degree →
- PhysiologySee the degree →
- BiochemistryCIP 26.0202
- BiophysicsCIP 26.0203
- Molecular BiochemistryCIP 26.0205
- Molecular BiophysicsCIP 26.0206
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Microbiologists$87,990 · +6.2%
- Geneticists
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$103,410 · +12.6%
- Chemists$91,240 · +6.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.