Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for molecular biologists in the United States
Are molecular biologist jobs in demand?
Molecular biologist job and salary trends over time
Molecular biologist jobs over time
Molecular biologist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,874 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,706 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,666 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,668 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,558 | 0.00% |
Average molecular biologist salary over time
Molecular biologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $73,763 | $35.46 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | $70,536 | $33.91 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $68,737 | $33.05 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $66,441 | $31.94 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | $63,720 | $30.63 | --0.5% |
Molecular biologist jobs by state
Most common states for molecular biologists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 58 | 8% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 359 | 5% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 29 | 3% |
| 4 | California | 39,536,653 | 907 | 2% |
| 5 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 165 | 2% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 141 | 2% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 55 | 2% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 54 | 2% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 17 | 2% |
| 10 | New York | 19,849,399 | 214 | 1% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 134 | 1% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 111 | 1% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 97 | 1% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 53 | 1% |
| 15 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 25 | 1% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 17 | 1% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 15 | 1% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 11 | 1% |
| 19 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 9 | 1% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 8 | 1% |
Most common cities for molecular biologists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames | 1 | 2% | $65,118 |
| 2 | Bethesda | 1 | 2% | $78,094 |
| 3 | Lancaster | 1 | 2% | $84,553 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 1% | $82,244 |
| 5 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $77,509 |
| 6 | New Orleans | 1 | 0% | $60,895 |
| 7 | Saint Paul | 1 | 0% | $68,461 |
| 8 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $76,444 |
Molecular Biologist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of molecular biologist experts
Earlham College
Northeastern State University
SUNY Stony Brook
University of Northern Iowa
Washburn University of Topeka
Pepperdine University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Dallas
University of San Diego
Northwestern University
Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Georgetown University
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Frank David MD, PhD: My main piece of advice is to network. Do tons of informational interviews with folks and then follow up to see if there are possible opportunities or other connections that folks can help you make. Many biotech and pharma positions go to folks with 'inside tracks' because they are recommended by current employees or already know the hiring manager. Also: be flexible about the type of role whenever possible. For example, if you’re looking at an entry-level lab-based job, don’t get hung up on the specific disease area. Or if you’re interested in regulatory science, cast a broad net and also explore roles in program management and medical writing, which involve similar activities and required skills. Finally: it’s great to look for opportunities at biotech and pharma firms, but don’t forget about contract research organizations, consultancies, and other vendors that serve drug companies. Those types of organizations are often more willing to train folks who are coming straight out of school, and those positions are great stepping stones to eventually move 'to the client side' (into drug companies) as experienced hires.
Alison Hamilton
Assistant Teaching ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Alison Hamilton: (As an aside----You do realize that you have asked this question of an academic biologist, right? Someone who spent way too much time in school earning way too many degrees and living on very little money until finally getting a “real” job after 16 years of post-graduate training and education……and still makes less than some of my students do when they graduate…..:) This is clearly something that I know NOTHING about😊)
Again, I think that having some experience will help. If you worked in the industry for 6 months while working on your degree you may be able to start at a higher salary than someone with no previous experience. The same may well be true for having in-demand coding or data analysis skills or even for experience with developing professional looking presentations, websites, or podcasts. Expertise and experience could result in a better offer and they will certainly increase interest in your resume.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alison Hamilton: The co-op advisers at UML work with lots of different employers in this area and they have told me that in addition to laboratory skills (which all of our biology majors have lots of exposure to) they are looking for students with strong written and oral communication skills. Other skills in demand are critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills. Given the innovations and new technologies in scientific fields, expertise in a particular technique or methodology may become less essential or be learned on the job, yet strong communication skills and expertise in data analysis will remain sought after by employers across the biological sciences.
Getting hands on experience and exposure to research is a great way to discover what you love, make your resume stand out and build professional relationships and networks that can help you secure a job when you graduate. I know that many of the students in Biological Sciences at UML who participated in a co-op with a local employer went on to work for that company after graduation.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Alison Hamilton: Be sure to emphasize your strengths—even if they might not seem directly applicable to a position you are interested in. Your resume should include techniques, skills, and approaches with which you have experience, but think about other things you have accomplished, whether paid or volunteer. You don’t know when your language skills, fundraising experience, public speaking, partnership with a local community non-profit, or teenage years helping with the family fishing or farming business may matter. Biology is such a diverse discipline and new career pathways using the skills and education inherent in a biology degree are evolving all the time.
Mr. Brian Zimmerman III
Assistant Vice President of Strategic CommunicationsEarlham College
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Mr. Brian Zimmerman III: Apply, interview, and negotiate! The landscape of science is a competitive one - both for biologists and their employers. Many graduates, particularly ones who hold identities that have been historically excluded from science, tend to apply for job opportunities only if they perfectly fit the advert description. This is actually not a great strategy! Having been on the academic job market recently, I learned that job adverts tend to describe the absolute perfect candidate; employers know that person does not exist and are shooting for the moon with their adverts. If you have any of the skills, qualifications, or experiences that are mentioned or are related to a particular job advert, then apply for it! When interviewing, it's also important to take ownership of the identity you want to have; visualize yourself as, for example, a lab manager looking for their institution rather than a recent undergraduate looking for their first job. The transformation into a professional scientist begins with your mindset, as this will influence your behavior. Plus, it's easier to advocate and negotiate for yourself if you view your interviews and application through the lens of discerning if this employer has what you need to be successful, rather than the framing of hoping you're "good enough" to work there. This is all to say that once you land the interview and you've decided the employer has what you need to be successful, do not be afraid to negotiate creatively! Do some research on the cost of living of the town and the average wages for the position in that area or in an area where the cost of living is similar. When you negotiate, you can ask for more than salary - inquire about benefits, childcare, immigration/visa support, retirement contributions and matching, career development opportunities or stipends, remote work, etc. Even if you're unable to negotiate a higher salary, there are other benefits that you can leverage to make that money go farther or prepare you for a promotion earlier in your career. Additionally, if you are able, do not be afraid to apply for other jobs and share your better offers with your current employer to see if they can match or beat the competing offer. As you grow in your career, you may outgrow your current employer - and that's okay; it's an opportunity to find a new place that recognizes your increased value! At the end of the day, chances are that you are worth more than what you're currently being paid, so do not be afraid to ask questions to position yourself for success!
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mr. Brian Zimmerman III: An emerging trend in my particular field is deep-sequencing or "big data" analysis. Many techniques that investigate the identities, regulation, and networks of biological molecules are high-throughput, meaning they generate huge quantities of data that require specialized programs and training to analyze. Developing a background in bioinformatics, data literacy, programming, or computer science will definitely make a student highly marketable and sought after when on the job market. There are several online and in-person courses, workshops, and webinars to learn about these techniques and the accompanying data analysis; I encourage recent graduates or soon-to-be graduates to explore these opportunities as these skills are transferrable to several disciplines and career paths.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Mr. Brian Zimmerman III: In my specific subdiscipline of molecular biology and biochemistry, new graduates tend to pursue jobs in the "wet" or "bench" laboratory. Every lab, whether in a government setting, industry setting, or academic setting, will be outfitted with its own equipment, protocols, and standard operating procedures. Typically, new members of the lab are trained in these lab-specific procedures by a more experienced member. It can be strange to have someone explain concepts to you that you may already know, or demo equipment that you've already used; it can feel like the lab doesn't trust you or believe you're capable. In reality, this is not the case at all! Usually, this training is an intentional opportunity for you to get to know the workflow in the lab and the specific logistics of the space. However, new lab members often will be shy and not ask questions out of fear of seeming insufficiently knowledgeable. New lab members may even experience a phenomenon called "imposter syndrome," which is the feeling that one does not belong in the space but rather is an "imposter" who obtained their role not by their own merit. Imposter syndrome is particularly likely when an individual begins working in a new space where there is a substantial amount of training and on-boarding that needs to occur, which reinforces that false sense that the lab doesn't trust you. I'll be the first, but not the last, to tell a new lab member that they deserve to be there! Undergraduate programs in Biology are designed to prepare graduates to be successful in their careers and to equip them with the skills to apply what they know to novel situations and to be self-sufficient in learning new things. Don't let being in a new space shake your confidence and let self-doubt take hold!! One way to combat the "shyness" or imposter syndrome of being in a new lab is to ask questions and to build a community of support. So, my advice to a graduate beginning their laboratory career is to (1) ask questions - you will only become a better biologist by seeking the knowledge of your peers and colleagues, and you will grow by learning new techniques and protocols, and (2) to lean on your friends and colleagues to remind you of your own excellence and ability to grow. You are so not alone - we've all had to start somewhere, so seek the advice of your community!
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Having experience and a well highlighted skill set to match the job description. This can be obtained by pursuing advanced education and training, such as obtaining a master's or doctoral degree in the field you are interested in.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Research skills and data analysis for pharmaceutical and drug development companies, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Medical laboratory sciences
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Biology is a vast field with a lot of opportunities. The highest paying jobs in the field include health care, biostatisticians, data analysts, ecologists, genetic counselors, pharmacists, molecular biologists and research scientists/technicians in pharmaceutical companies. Depending on what area you would like to focus on, it would be a good idea to improve some basic skill sets that will give you an added advantage in the job market. If you are a fresh graduate many online certificate courses can be completed to give you these additional skills. You can improve upon IT skills such as biotechnology and computer literacy, research skills, and data analysis including biostatistics. You also can get some research experience by either volunteering in research labs or by gaining a master’s degree in molecular biology. This will open up many more job opportunities for you in the pharmaceutical area. Find out what career you love and work towards that by improving your skills and experience.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Ross Weatherman Ph.D.: Generally, broad training across a number of different types of biochemical and molecular biology methods will make you an attractive candidate to a larger number of employers and expand your potential options, but deep skills in one or two really important techniques areas, such as proteomics or bioinformatics, will make you most attractive to a single employer and improve your salary potential.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Ross Weatherman Ph.D.: The jobs that our graduates in biochemistry and molecular biology are taking are really diverse in terms of the types of companies and in the types of job requirements. They are not all big jobs in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Many start working for smaller diagnostic labs or support labs for manufacturing or food processing. Also, I tell our students to expect to change jobs or employers in a few years. For our students, the job market seems to be pretty dynamic for them in the first 5-10 years either because they choose to change jobs or their companies go through some sort of change.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Vicki Singer Ph.D.: The biggest difference in what one would do on a daily basis as a bioscientist is between someone entering professional life with an undergraduate versus a graduate degree rather than on the specific discipline one chooses to study.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Vicki Singer Ph.D.: Most scientists are bored by routine because they don’t get to exercise creativity. Finding the parts of the job that you like and that energize you is what gives rise to successful, fulfilled employees, with long, productive careers.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Vicki Singer Ph.D.: Postdoctoral training may become more and more essential, to allow new entrants to effectively compete with other highly trained professionals re-entering the workforce after recent pharma/biopharma layoffs.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: One cannot get high salaries with a bachelor's degree in biology. To maximize your future salary you need to get a terminal degree such as PhD or MD. Alternatively one could go to law school. If you still want to begin working after BSc, look for industry jobs; these would be low-level technicians but make much more money than in academia.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: Advanced degrees, bioinformatics, hi-tech research (synthetic biology), but classical molecular biology and genetics and biochemistry skills will remain critical
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: Multi-prong advice: try to get a higher degree, look for jobs that you enjoy (e.g., research, patient care) rather than chase the money.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Theresa Spradling: All of the jobs that biologists do help other people, and that brings biologists personal satisfaction with their job.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Theresa Spradling: The world needs more people who are prepared to work in healthcare, who can understand and protect nature, who can research diseases, or teach. All of the fields that biologists work in are experiencing job growth.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Theresa Spradling: Biology is the study of life, including bacteria, plants, animals, and people, so biology is an incredibly diverse field! What biologists do day to day depends on the area of biology that the biologist works in. Some biologists work in the field of conservation to protect animals and plants, some work in scientific research labs to advance our knowledge of nature and of medicines, some biologists teach, and some biologists specialize in helping people in healthcare settings by serving as doctors, nurses, physicians assistants, physical therapists, genetic counselors, dentists, and more. Each of these people have jobs that differ day to day and hour to hour.
Susan Bjerke
Associate Professor of BiologyWashburn University of Topeka
Biological And Physical Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Susan Bjerke: For a science graduate just beginning their career, I recommend applying to several different jobs. Some of those jobs may be in locations you aren’t crazy about or may involve tasks outside your comfort zone. This is your chance to spread your wings and take a chance! There are a lot of jobs out there for graduates with an undergraduate degree in the sciences, but you may not start in your dream job. That’s okay! There are many things that can be learned from a not-perfect job, and the skills you learn can provide a launch pad to the job you do want.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Susan Bjerke: Maximizing your salary is important, but don’t forget that jobs can come with other benefits that may compensate for a lower starting salary. For instance, maybe you get to work out in the field instead of being tied to a desk all day. Maybe you have the opportunity to work from home some of the time. Some employers offer matches for retirement plans or discounted health insurance for spouses. Negotiating for the best salary you can makes sense, but also look into those intangibles!
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Susan Bjerke: Some of the skills that will be important in the next 3-5 years will be general critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to changing technology. Almost all science fields are increasingly dependent on technology, so being able to learn new skills and change the way you do things in your job will be important. Being an effective communicator, both in writing and orally, is an overlooked skill in the sciences and is always an important asset.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: I do not have an answer for this. My response would be to be proactive during undergraduate studies, to discern where you find joy and curiosity. Pursue that topic. I do not think that the salary should be the priority when considering careers.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: The scientific method: to be able to find, read, interpret, understand, and implement research. Not only would this enhance personal skills and critical thinking, it could contribute to techniques and methods that could be performed; it could foster questions that would be important in advancing the field; and could set apart an individual.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: Listen and be curious: ask questions (the why and how?), ask for opportunities, do extra readings outside of work. Aim for excellence: treat each assigned task as priority–go above and beyond. Connect: talk to colleagues, your boss, staff–be excited to learn from others. Be grateful: constantly reflect on the small details that led you to this point, for gratitude gives you foundation for joy during your career.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Qing Li: Develop your specialty and be good at one thing; jobs will be after you rather than you after jobs.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Qing Li: AI will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years but laboratory experiments will continue to make new discoveries.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Prajay Patel Ph.D.: As high throughput instruments and supercomputers continue to generate massive amounts of data, learn how to do tasks with programming languages like Python for larger scale data analysis and visualization. However, communicating effectively, working well in team-based environments, one’s writing ability, and the ability to handle multiple projects/experiments at the same time are all valuable soft skills that one should build regardless of any new trends in a particular field.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Nicole Danos PhD: Include your non-lab based skills in your resume!
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nicole Danos PhD: In the next 3-5 years techniques in Biotech will constantly improve. Which will mean three things:
a) there will be much more data to sort through! It will be important to let the questions being asked direct data analyses.
b) workers will need to be nimble to improve their lab skills. The same principles of good practices will apply!
c) AI tools will be in the workplace. Workers will need to understand these tools and know whether or not they are appropriate for what they are trying to use, and not trust them blindly.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Nicole Danos PhD: In addition to many sought after hard skills that our Biology program graduate have been trained in (cell and microbial culture, DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, antibody staining, data analysis and biostatistics), graduates should remember to leverage the other scientific skills they learned. This includes things like researching and summarizing the state of knowledge in a field, distilling relevant information for peers and supervisors, presenting experimental designs and results and all around thinking about problems from start to finish. All of our graduates should be able to leverage these soft science skills, since they all had to do an independent research project.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Nathaniel Stern: To answer this question we need to be clear what field the graduate intends to continue in. If they want to continue in Physics as a “field”, then they will most likely need to go to graduate school in Physics, Astronomy, or a related field. There are many opportunities for graduates with majors in Physics, but many of these are in different fields. Physics majors excel in these other opportunities, but in order to do “physics”, meaning studying the science of matter and energy, one generally goes to graduate school. If this is the graduate’s plan, then the advice is to be passionate about the research topic that you choose. One does not need to know ahead of time that a particular direction of research is the best possible direction for them, but they should have interest in it. Research often involves small academic questions, and if one doesn’t find these interesting then it can be a bit of a slog. More generally, advice matches other career paths, however: do something that you love, and also choose impactful problems. Even if your own work is a small part of the whole, if you can see the impact of the field it can be exciting all the time. If the graduate is not going to graduate school in Physics or a related subject, then they are likely entering a technical career such as engineering, finance, education, data science, or consulting. Physics is a great basic training for whatever direction someone takes since it trains you to think and problem solve, especially in reducing a problem to its core questions (as opposed to building encyclopedic knowledge of relevant facts). But, whatever specific career path a graduate takes will likely bring more specialized methods, knowledge, and applications. Physics is a great starting point, but future endeavors will broaden thinking to new challenges outside of the rigid rules of physical laws. So, graduates should be willing to, and excited to, adapt to new cultures.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Nathaniel Stern: Within academic physics, your potential can be maximized by doing impactful work in graduate school that matters to other people. The next step is to communicate this impact broadly, and then figure out how to take the next step in the field. That is a lot of steps, but if one can successfully do those things in graduate school, they can build the profile, community, and intellectual leadership to demand the highest salary. Outside of academic physics, the requirements are probably not that different, but I do not have explicit knowledge of them myself. So I would fall back on the standard goals of innovation and communication, which should help one succeed in any knowledge-related career.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Melanie Wilcox Ph.D., ABPP: This is more difficult to answer as it highly depends on the person! What matters most in career choice is whether the chosen occupation is a good fit for your interests, skills, values, and priorities. If you enjoy research, consider yourself to be a data-driven and curious person, and like to engage in work that benefits people, organizations, and/or society, Experimental Psychology could be a great fit. If you prefer to help people more directly such as through psychological services, then Clinical, Counseling, or School psychology may be a better fit; Experimental Psychology is solely a research-focused path.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Michael Marchetti: My general advice to graduating biology majors would be to get actual hands-on experience in whatever field/sub-discipline you decide you want to specialize in. This could take various forms depending on your circumstances, for example: an internship (even short term), a job in a field that is similar or adjacent to the field you are interested in, pursue a master's degree in the field, or even volunteer in some capacity while you get a job to pay the bills, etc. It seems that in today's professional science environment that having some experience in the thing you want to do helps a lot to get your foot in the door.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Michael Marchetti: I think that in the next few years, it will be important to have some wide range of skills across a diversity of sub-disciplines. For example, GIS (geographic information skills), R statistical programming language, modern genetic and genomic techniques, computer programming skills etc. Again, it seems that hard and fast borders/walls separating disciplinary fields are breaking down as our knowledge of the larger biological world expands.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Take full advantage of the education and training opportunities offered to you either while you are completing your degree or when you start your first post-degree position. Academic institutions and employers are invested in the success of their recruits and regularly provide professional development opportunities to help folks build up skillsets – so make time to seek out and capitalize on those opportunities when they are offered, and document them on your CV (curriculum vitae) / resumes.
Maureen Dunbar PhD
Program Chair/Associate Professor of BiologyPennsylvania State University - Berks
Information Science/Studies
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Maureen Dunbar PhD: The most important skill is flexibility and the ability to be a self-learner. Laboratory sciences change incredibly fast, and it is important to keep up with the changes and to be willing and able to learn new techniques and skills.
What Molecular Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Maureen Dunbar PhD: For graduates entering the field of biology, I would recommend that they be persistent and open-minded when looking for jobs, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The most important criteria for a career in biology (or really any laboratory science) is experience. You may need to accept an entry-level position for a year or so, but if you work hard you will advance in the company quickly.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Maureen Dunbar PhD: To maximize your starting salary, try to get as much lab experience as possible during your college years. Undergraduate research, internships, and co-op experiences are wonderful opportunities for students to gain lab experience. If that is not possible, be open to positions that will give you as much lab experience as possible even if you can't see yourself in that specific area long term.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Ivica Labuda PhD: The 21st century is the century of biotechnology, which means that opportunities for a successful, impactful career in the field are there for those who go after them. Your blossoming career path may take you from the private sector, to government agencies, to academia and beyond, so taking advantage of every opportunity to gain exposure to the different sides of biotech will set you up to grasp varied and exciting opportunities.
What general advice would you give to a Molecular Biologist?
Kristopher Koudelka Ph.D.: There are two skillsets, and one field I see become more important. The first skillset is application of material. You must know the language of your field; however, most content can be quickly found through simple research. People who can apply this knowledge, and formulate the new questions are more valuable employees. The second skill set is troubleshooting. Very often experiments fail or give strange results, how one can glean as much information as possible from the experiment and then plan the next course of action is a huge asset. The field I see becoming more important is computer programming. Very often these fields deal with large datasets that are so big, complex, or repetitive that computer assistance isn’t just helpful… but mandatory.
What will help Molecular Biologists increase their earning potential?
Kristopher Koudelka Ph.D.: Always keep learning. These fields change fast! The leading edge is always unveiling new information that can be applied to the area you are working on, and there will be new techniques developed that allow you to answer questions in more efficient ways. You must learn to regularly update yourself through conversations, reading, conferences, and trainings. This change is fun and exciting, embrace it. It will keep your job feeling new.