Career Profiles

Are you inquisitive? Do you enjoy using a methodology and conducting experiments? If you’ve got a passion for investigation, a career as a scientist could be for you.

To help you understand what scientists do and the various careers in science, we’ll take you through:

Different types of scientists
What do scientists do?
Scientist career path
Scientist salaries
Qualifications and training
Scientist skills
Pros and cons of being a scientist
Work-life balance of a scientist
Typical scientist employers
Related jobs

Different types of scientists and careers in science

As science covers a broad range of subject matters, including bodily functions in biology, material properties in chemistry and forces in physics, there are many different types of scientists. A computer scientist cracks digital codes while a botanist analyses plants. Some scientists conduct experiments in labs, while others research patterns in data.

Science is a varied area with lots of exciting career opportunities. Here are some of the science specialisms you could explore:

Maths. Research mathematicians work on pure and applied maths theorems. Mathematicians prove theories, develop models (to explore phenomena) and use mathematical principles to look for trends in data.
Medical. Research scientists specialising in medical science explore ways to prevent, diagnose and manage diseases and symptoms. They’ll often work on a molecular level, sometimes developing drugs and clinical products.
Climate. Climate scientists analyse how the Earth’s climate is evolving and the knock-on effects.
Consumer. Consumer scientists investigate the motivations behind people's spending habits. They analyse behaviours and provide companies with targeted feedback.
Forensic. Forensic scientists collect and analyse physical evidence to determine facts during criminal investigations.
Genetics. Geneticists study genes. They investigate the heredity (ie. the passing on of characteristics to the next generation) and the variation of organisms. Geneticists can work with humans, animals, plants and microbes.
Biology. A biologist is a scientist who studies living things (including people, plants and animals). Within biology, there are specialisms such as marine biology (life in the ocean) and microbiology (microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi).
Life sciences. Life sciences is a wide range of study that covers anything to do with life, including living organisms and how they interact with their environment. Scientists within life sciences may develop products or commercial applications for areas such as biotechnology (using biology to create new things or processes) and physiology (the biology of the mechanisms of living things).
Botany. Botanists study plants. Sometimes, they’re also called plant scientists, plant biologists or phytologists.
Clinical research. A clinical research scientist is a medical researcher who generally works on medicine-related topics.
Biomedical science. Biomedical scientists conduct tests for doctors and other medical professionals to inform disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Generally, biomedical scientists specialise in areas like infection sciences, blood sciences, cell sciences or genetics.
Physics. Physicists study the matter and energy that makes up our universe. Their work may be theoretical (ie. developing mathematical models) or experimental (ie. conducting experiments to test theories). Applied physics is when physicists use their understanding to develop technologies and solve problems (such as creating new methods of medical imaging).
Computer science. Computer scientists design, develop and analyse computing software, hardware, networks and models. Sometimes, they’ll use coding languages and mathematical algorithms.
Food science. Food scientists and food technologists develop food and drink products. They make sure food products are safe for human consumption and work to find ways to improve production processes and output quality.
Geoscience. Geoscientists study everything to do with the Earth, including its structure, formation and mineral resources. A geologist is a type of geoscientist who specifically studies rocks and the Earth’s structure.
Materials. Material scientists study materials, how they behave and how they can be used. They combine scientific understandings from physics and chemistry. Material scientists are also known as material engineers and can work in manufacturing plants. In research roles, they’ll work in laboratories or offices.
Chemistry. Chemists focus on the chemical makeup of substances – analysing their composition, structure and properties of matter. Typically, they’ll work with chemicals in liquid or gaseous states (rather than solid materials) and will analyse substances at atomic and molecular levels.
Meteorology. Meteorologists study the weather. They’re the people who put together weather forecasts. Some meteorologists will also analyse longer-term trends, like climate patterns.

What do scientists do?

At a top level, scientists pursue the discovery of knowledge. They come up with theories and test them through experiments.

While each type of scientist does a different job, there are certain tasks that most scientists will all undertake at some point.

Here are some examples of what working as a scientist may look like:

Researching, developing and testing theories – this may look like conducting interviews, writing applications to funding bodies, working with technicians in the lab or recruiting and briefing test subjects.
Using instruments (a device or tool used for scientific study, like a thermometer) – sometimes, you could even design or construct your own.
Collecting and analysing data to see what conclusions you can draw.
Keeping up-to-date records of your process and results.
Creating models to demonstrate the effects of your findings.
Presenting your findings (ie. sharing data with companies or giving evidence in court).
Writing papers for publication in scientific journals.

The career path of a scientist

Your career path as a scientist will be shaped by the type of scientific research or specialism you work in.

Most of the work undertaken by scientists at entry level will be laboratory-based – often working as a lab technician under a senior scientist to learn the ropes.

Many scientists start their careers while studying for a PhD. In this case, you’ll have a supervisor who’ll support you. As well as getting guidance from your university, research scientists can receive additional training from organisations like Vitae which help scientists in the early stages of their careers.

As you progress, you’ll likely take on additional responsibilities including supervising and managing trials and projects. Once you’ve got some experience, you’ll typically have a small team of lab technicians who answer to you.

If you work within academia as a research scientist, your career progression may depend on the number of papers you publish and how skilled you are at securing funding. You may also choose to become a professor and teach the next generation.

In other roles, you may be working as an in-house scientist for a pharmaceutical company or a manufacturing plant. There, your salary and career progression will depend on your employer and the sector you work within.

At the peak of their careers, scientists often specialise as consultants or move into management or senior researcher positions.

Whatever route you choose, it’s useful to seek support from professional bodies. Numerous organisations help scientists looking to progress including:

Bodies like the above can provide additional qualifications and help scientists gain chartered status, which can boost their careers.

Scientist salaries

How much you can earn as a scientist will vary depending on your experience, specialism, employer and location. A food technologist at a global snacks brand is a hugely different role from a geologist writing papers at a university, so you can’t easily compare salaries.

Because of the wide range of jobs and areas of expertise, it’s understandable that there’s a disparity in earnings. However, it’s still helpful to get an idea of what your salary could be as a scientist.

As a rough guide:

Research scientists who’ve completed their PhD typically earn between £27,000 (as a starter salary) and £48,000 (once experienced). Senior researchers and uni professors’ salaries are closer to £50,000 to £75,000.
Chemists usually earn between £26,000 and £40,000.

Climate scientists can expect to start on a salary of approximately £23,000 and could earn up to £55,000 as their career progresses.
Forensic scientists could start at around £23,000 and go on to earn over £50,000 at a senior level.

Qualifications and training

Reaching the right qualification level and having experience will help you secure the career in science you want.

Here’s an idea of the education and training that you need to succeed:

Education

In general, scientists have a degree in a science-based subject like chemistry, biology or physics. However, depending on the area of science you hope to go into, there’s a wide range of university subjects that will also help you.

Here’s a breakdown of some roles in science and the degree subjects that employers look for:

Maths research scientist: Mathematics, physics, statistics
Medical research scientist: Biomedical sciences, biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics
Life sciences research scientist: Ecology, environmental biology, natural sciences
Climate scientist: Geography, environmental science, oceanography
Consumer scientist: Consumer studies, food and consumer product management, psychology, marketing
Forensic scientist: Medical sciences, criminology

While an undergraduate degree will be enough for many roles, some employers will want you to have a PhD or research-based MSc (either underway or completed) for certain research positions.

Don’t have a science degree? Don’t worry. Sometimes, a degree isn’t required for entry-level roles. You can enter the sector via an apprenticeship. To find out about science-related apprenticeships, search the government’s apprenticeship listings.

Work experience

Work experience provides technical and laboratory training that’ll help you secure a full-time position in science. It’s also worth noting that some employers favour recruiting applicants directly from their work placement schemes.

Certain science degrees include work experience as part of the course. If your course includes a placement, it could be a few months or even a full year (it’ll typically be during the third year of your course where you might work for an organisation).

Even if you do work experience as part of your degree, getting additional experience will still be useful. That’s where internships come in. Many top firms offer internships during the summer aimed at uni students. Take a look at currently available science and research internships.

Can’t find an advertised internship you’d like? Try networking with employees in the companies you want to work with to find out about opportunities.

Scientist skills

Education is an important building block on the road to securing your career as a scientist, but it’s also important to consider the skill set required for the job.

Here are some of the hard and soft skills that’ll help you flourish in your career as a scientist:

Hard skills

Lab skills. Whatever area you specialise in, you’ll usually need technical skills to run a lab safely and efficiently. Testing and analysis underpins so many careers as a scientist, so you’ll need some experience conducting scientific experiments for most roles.
Specialist skills. Some roles require specialised skills. For example, a computer scientist will probably need to know coding while a maths research scientist will have to be comfortable solving complex equations.

Soft skills

Research. To become a scientist, you’ll need research skills so that you can carefully analyse and process large amounts of data.
Problem-solving. A proactive approach to problem-solving is important for a career as a scientist.
Verbal and written communication. Communication skills are essential for working within a team on a project and for publishing or presenting scientific research.
Attention to detail. Scientific discovery often relies on the smallest of details to prove a hypothesis to be true. Your results are only valid if every precaution and measure has been taken into account, so you need to be meticulous.
Patience. Often, there’s a lengthy period between designing a study, conducting it and writing the results. Scientists need to accept that processes can be drawn out.

Pros and cons of being a scientist

A career as a scientist can be hugely rewarding. However, it’s hard work and not suited to everyone.

Here are some pros and cons to help you consider whether the scientific path is the right one for you:

Pros

Working as a scientist can be rewarding as you’re part of something bigger – pushing the frontiers of knowledge and often working to make positive change.
Designing experiments and discovering new theories is exciting.
As you progress through your career, the hours are likely to become more flexible as you determine when and how you carry out your research.
You can specialise and even become a world-leading researcher in your area of expertise. As an expert, you could publish your work, give speeches and teach others. You might get to travel to other parts of the world for conferences if you’d like.
Specialising can offer high rates of pay as you progress in your career.
Becoming a scientist means being part of a worldwide community of like-minded people. You can connect with people who share your passions.

Cons

Working hours can be long. Sometimes, you’ll need to work long days and on weekends to meet deadlines and conduct tests.
Although there’s the potential to earn well later in your career, you’ll usually need to accept a lower salary for an entry-level job.
The nature of scientific testing means securing funding is competitive.
It can be frustrating when a lengthy project comes to an end and you discover the results aren’t what you expected or are unusable.

Scientist work-life balance

If you’re employed as a scientist for an organisation, let’s say a meteorologist for a weather forecaster, your hours are likely to be Monday to Friday, roughly 9 to 5. However, sometimes your hours will change because of deadlines (ie. you’ll need to do overtime). In certain roles, you may need to work different shifts and the patterns could vary.

If you want to be a research scientist, you might get to choose your hours. Even with the flexibility, you’ll sometimes still need to work evenings and weekends to conduct experiments, occasionally because you can only conduct a test at a certain time. If you need to measure something at 6am every morning, you still need to measure it on a Sunday! Working unsociable hours can have an impact on your work-life balance.

Scientist employers

As there’s a wide variety of scientist careers available, there are many different types of employers looking to take you on.

Below are some of the companies that hire entry-level scientists:

Beyond science and pharmaceutical firms, you’ll also find opportunities at:

Universities (unis often hire research assistants)
Utility companies (ie. water and energy)
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms – particularly within product development teams for cosmetics, food and household goods
Medical research charities

Does a career as a scientist intrigue you? Learn more about the science and pharmaceuticals sector.

This article was last updated in May, 2025.

Scientist