How to hire a bioinformatics scientist

How to hire a bioinformatics scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bioinformatics scientist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bioinformatics scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bioinformatics scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a bioinformatics scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the bioinformatics scientist you need to hire. Certain bioinformatics scientist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect bioinformatics scientist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents bioinformatics scientist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Bioinformatics Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Bioinformatics Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$30-62
   Research Fellow	A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study... Show more	$18-34
   Research Technician	A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination... Show more	$14-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Next-Generation Sequencing
   • Data Analysis
   • NGS
   • Java
   • Visualization
   • Linux
   • Perl
   • Machine Learning
   • C++
   • RNA-seq
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Bioconductor
   • MATLAB

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage informatics LIMS system for sample tracking, reporting and delivery of service projects.
   • Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
   • Prototyped and evaluate algorithms in MATLAB, Java, and C++.
   • Propose, win and execute a C++ software development effort to explore foliage modeling techniques for airborne LIDAR simulation systems.
   • Analyze and evaluate DTED methods utilizing both LIDAR and SAR for customer.
   • Work in both windows and unix environments

   More bioinformatics scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bioinformatics scientist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A bioinformatics scientist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a bioinformatics scientist in Mississippi may be lower than in California, and an entry-level bioinformatics scientist usually earns less than a senior-level bioinformatics scientist. Additionally, a bioinformatics scientist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average bioinformatics scientist salary

   $91,530yearly

   $44.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bioinformatics scientist salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average bioinformatics scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,459	$56
   2	Minnesota	$93,759	$45
   3	New York	$90,495	$44
   4	Indiana	$89,653	$43
   5	Maryland	$87,193	$42
   6	Massachusetts	$84,499	$41
   7	Arizona	$83,725	$40
   8	Pennsylvania	$77,218	$37
   9	North Carolina	$74,872	$36
   10	Ohio	$73,249	$35
   11	Washington	$73,140	$35
   12	Michigan	$72,855	$35
   13	Illinois	$70,774	$34
   14	Colorado	$69,335	$33
   15	Texas	$63,539	$31
   16	Missouri	$61,463	$30
   17	Alabama	$61,121	$29
   18	Georgia	$53,779	$26

   Average bioinformatics scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$138,706	$66.69	28
   2	10x Genomics	$130,481	$62.73	1
   3	DNAnexus	$122,162	$58.73
   4	Genentech	$111,916	$53.81	51
   5	Theranos	$111,439	$53.58	1
   6	PRO Unlimited	$111,399	$53.56
   7	Corning Incorporated	$106,445	$51.18	11
   8	AbbVie	$102,553	$49.30	75
   9	Novartis	$101,955	$49.02	3
   10	Agilent Technologies	$101,103	$48.61	3
   11	CyberCoders	$100,995	$48.56	2
   12	Bio-Rad Laboratories	$100,849	$48.49	1
   13	Integrated DNA Technologies	$100,333	$48.24
   14	Agenus	$100,049	$48.10
   15	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$99,546	$47.86	7
   16	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$99,146	$47.67	30
   17	CAMRIS International, Inc.	$98,950	$47.57	3
   18	Karyopharm	$98,406	$47.31
   19	Regeneron	$97,996	$47.11	34
   20	Illumina	$97,633	$46.94	2

4. Writing a bioinformatics scientist job description

   A bioinformatics scientist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a bioinformatics scientist job description:

   Bioinformatics scientist job description example

   At Nautilus, we have a big and important mission: improve the health of millions by unleashing the potential of the proteome to accelerate drug development and enable a new world of precision and personalized medicine. We are developing a single-molecule protein analysis platform of unprecedented sensitivity, scale, and ease of use that we believe will democratize access to the proteome - one of the most dynamic and valuable sources of biological insight. To accomplish this, we are pursuing hard scientific problems with an entrepreneurial mindset and creating a world-class team of builders, innovators, and dreamers across a wide range of disciplines.
   
   We are hiring a Principal Bioinformatics Scientist for the Applications Group to join our growing team. The charter for Nautilus's Applications Group is to use the insights generated by our platform to answer a broad set of biological questions with relevance to current scientific areas of focus, and in the process to establish strategic partnerships with biotechnology companies and research institutions that are actively investigating those questions. More broadly, we intend this work to drastically accelerate the rate of biological discoveries driven by proteomics. The person stepping into this role will need to leverage their expertise in biology, computational approaches, and the Nautilus platform in order to provide technical leadership for all of our Applications-supporting bioinformatics efforts.
   
   This position will report to the Senior Director of Bioinformatics and Software Engineering and is located in San Carlos, CA, San Diego, CA, or Seattle, WA. A minimum of three days in office, preferred.
   
   ResponsibilitiesWork cross-functionally with representatives of other teams - such as biologists, biochemists, hardware engineers, software engineers, and computational biologists -to define and execute the Applications-supporting bioinformatics plan Help us form partnerships with external organizations and, in tandem with other leaders within the business, set the strategy for how we answer meaningful biological questions within the context of these partnerships Provide direct technical contributions as appropriate to the Applications bioinformatics team's strengths and gaps
   
   Requirements8-10 years of relevant experience supporting bioinformatic analyses in high performing research organization(s) is required 4 or more years of experience in a bioinformatics leadership role is required A PhD degree in biology, computational biology or similar related field is required You have an excellent track record of leading complex bioinformatics projects throughout all stages, from inception to results publication You are familiar with the strong points, limitations, and outputs of existing proteomic technologies You are comfortable with applying statistical analysis and visualization approaches to surface insights within raw, not-yet-cleaned biological data, and have built automated end-to-end data processing pipelines that deliver actionable results to scientists You are fluent in a variety of programming languages, frameworks, and tools - we are currently heavily invested in Python You have strong organization and communication skills with the ability to lead directly as well as through collaboration and influence You have fun when building complex systems while working side-by-side with experts from a variety of disciplines
   Nautilus Team Culture
   
   We are curious go-getters: this is a team of life-long learners who aren't afraid to tackle the big challenges while continuously pushing ourselves forward
   
   We are detail oriented: we do great science by working smart and with diligence, and by learning from our mistakes
   
   We are easy to work with: we want our workplace to be one where everyone can share their perspective and be treated with respect and kindness

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right bioinformatics scientist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bioinformatics scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit bioinformatics scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit bioinformatics scientists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bioinformatics scientist

   Once you've found the bioinformatics scientist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new bioinformatics scientist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a bioinformatics scientist?