Biologist
Study living organisms to advance medicine, ecology, and biotechnology
About the profession
Biologists study living organisms and their relationships to the environment. The field encompasses molecular biology, ecology, genetics, microbiology, and more. Career opportunities span pharmaceutical research, biotech startups, conservation organizations, government agencies, and academia. Biotech growth has made biology skills increasingly valuable in industry.
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Biologist fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Biologist role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Investigative
Research, analysis, problem-solving
Realistic
Hands-on, practical, technical work
Conventional
Organizing, detail-oriented, structured
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (4 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Research Associate → Biologist → Senior Biologist → Principal Scientist → Director of Biology
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
5
Levels
$160K
Top Salary
18+
Years
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Timeline: 0-3 years | Entry Base: $45,000 - $58,000/year Conduct laboratory experiments and field research Maintain cell cultures, organisms, and lab equipment Collect data and…
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Learning Path 0 → Junior
Step-by-step plan from zero to first job
Earn BS in Biology; PhD for research-focused careers Develop lab skills in molecular biology, genetics, or ecology Gain research experience through academic labs or internships…
Market 2026–2030
Trends, AI impact, prospects
Growth Rate: Average through 2030 Remote Trend: Stable, lab and field work on-site; computational bio remote Top Industries: Pharma, biotech, government agencies, conservation,…
💰 Pay for Biological Scientists, All Other
BLS OEWS, May 2023The federal survey does not count this job title on its own — it is counted under Biological Scientists, All Other (19-1029).
Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
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Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The % is JobCannon’s editorial fit rating (0-100) for how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
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Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types