How to hire a physicist

How to hire a physicist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step physicist hiring guide:

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

What does a physicist do?

Post a physicist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the physicist you need to hire. Certain physicist 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

   A physicist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, physicists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of physicist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Physicist	Description	Hourly rate
   Physicist	Physicists and astronomers study the ways in which various forms of matter and energy interact. Theoretical physicists and astronomers may study the nature of time or the origin of the universe... Show more	$32-86
   Computational Physicist	Computational physicists are professionals who implement numerical analysis and physics functionals in solving problems. The physicists apply knowledge from different disciplines like mathematics, computer science, and statistics for a theory test... Show more	$13-63
   Research Physicist	A research physicist's job is to conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories based on observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Their duties and responsibilities include describing observations, developing simulations, and advising authorities on procedures to be followed.	$24-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Radiology
   • Oncology
   • Radiation Safety
   • Radiation Therapy
   • PET
   • HDR
   • DOD
   • SBRT
   • Aria
   • Data Analysis
   • Eclipse
   • Python
   • Calculation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Analyze large data sets using Matlab and compare the simulation results with the empirical data.
   • Plan HDR, prostate seed, and IMRT treatments.
   • Assist in commissioning of a Varian TrueBeam LINAC.
   • Work with Tomotherapy HiArt, Varian 21EX and 21IX, and TrueBeam linear accelerators.
   • Ensure safety of workers and the public by monitoring OSHA, ANSI, EPA, and other require regulations.
   • Calibrate radiation machine used to treat cancer patients with radiation therapy.

   More physicist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the physicist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A physicist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a physicist in Indiana may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level physicist. Additionally, a physicist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average physicist salary

   $110,869yearly

   $53.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level physicist salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average physicist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$131,891	$63
   2	Maryland	$124,399	$60
   3	New Mexico	$124,392	$60
   4	Massachusetts	$122,157	$59
   5	Pennsylvania	$117,287	$56
   6	District of Columbia	$113,828	$55
   7	Wisconsin	$111,104	$53
   8	Tennessee	$110,979	$53
   9	California	$108,064	$52
   10	Nevada	$107,601	$52
   11	Ohio	$107,480	$52
   12	Minnesota	$105,067	$51
   13	Arizona	$104,446	$50
   14	Colorado	$101,033	$49
   15	Missouri	$100,837	$48
   16	South Dakota	$100,164	$48
   17	Washington	$99,787	$48
   18	Texas	$99,199	$48
   19	Michigan	$86,541	$42
   20	Illinois	$86,388	$42

   Average physicist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sanford Health	$240,202	$115.48	2
   2	Billings Clinic	$238,804	$114.81	1
   3	Avera Health	$237,084	$113.98
   4	McLeod Health	$228,341	$109.78
   5	Baptist Health Care	$227,485	$109.37
   6	Beaumont Health	$221,571	$106.52
   7	OSF HealthCare	$220,538	$106.03	1
   8	Lehigh Valley Health Network	$218,754	$105.17
   9	Scripps Health	$218,634	$105.11
   10	Kaiser Permanente	$215,180	$103.45	2
   11	Baylor Scott & White Health	$212,606	$102.21	5
   12	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.	$212,577	$102.20	1
   13	Torrance Memorial Medical Center	$208,682	$100.33
   14	Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare	$207,355	$99.69
   15	Novant Health	$205,959	$99.02	3
   16	Emory Healthcare	$205,524	$98.81	1
   17	SSM Health	$201,309	$96.78
   18	Summit Health Oregon	$196,292	$94.37
   19	Providence Hospital	$196,175	$94.31
   20	Green Janet Lynne	$196,024	$94.24

4. Writing a physicist job description

   A physicist 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 physicist job description:

   Physicist job description example

   Performs all physics calculations and testing necessary for calibration of equipment and to ensure that the programs are in place to facilitate the produce of quality diagnostic images, consistent with the available technology and which optimize safety (including radiation, medical, and electrical) for the patient. To assure compliance with all certifying and governing bodies.
   **What the Medical Physicist will do:**
   
   + Assists in planning for resource allocation with Radiologists, administrators, and technologists, including: equipment usage, selection and replacement, staffing requirements, budget preparation, and review of departmental policies and procedures.
   
   + Responsible for performance specification, acceptance testing and performance verification, and commissioning of new equipment. Guides technologists in the use of new technology.
   
   + Supervises calibration, preventive maintenance, repair of equipment, and documentation of all relevant information.
   
   + Develops and administers the Radiation Safety Program, acting as Radiation Safety Officer for the institution. Includes the ALARA Program and patient/staff dose assessment. Participates in the development of criteria for approval of new uses of radiation.
   
   + Coordinates and leads the Institutional Radiation Safety Committee, MRI Safety Committee, and other committees as appropriate.
   
   + Determines shielding required for new or renovated equipment rooms for ionizing radiation and for radio frequency and magnetic fields.
   
   **What the Medical Physicist will need:**
   
   + Minimum Master's Degree in Medical Physics.
   
   + Board certified in Diagnostic Radiological Physics.
   
   + One year of experience performing physics in a clinical setting.
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right physicist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with physicists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit physicists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with physicist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 physicist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the physicist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new physicist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a physicist?