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Job outlook for senior biologists in the United States
Senior biologist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior biologist job growth rate is 1% from 2018-2028.
About 100 new jobs for senior biologists are projected over the next decade.
Senior biologist salaries have increased 16% for senior biologists in the last 5 years.
There are over 22,734 senior biologists currently employed in the United States.
There are 1,650 active senior biologist job openings in the US.
The average senior biologist salary is $66,143.
Are senior biologist jobs in demand?
Senior biologist job and salary trends over time
Senior biologist jobs over time
Senior biologist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22,734 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 21,406 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 21,092 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 21,104 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 20,235 | 0.01% |
Average senior biologist salary over time
Senior biologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $66,143 | $31.80 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | $63,250 | $30.41 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $61,637 | $29.63 | +3.5% |
| 2022 | $59,578 | $28.64 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | $57,138 | $27.47 | --0.5% |
Senior biologist jobs by state
Most common states for senior biologists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 739,795 | 14 | 2% |
| 2 | California | 39,536,653 | 215 | 1% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 60 | 1% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 39 | 1% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 13 | 1% |
| 6 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 8 | 1% |
| 7 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 7 | 1% |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 5 | 1% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 17 | 0% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 12 | 0% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 9 | 0% |
| 12 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 7 | 0% |
| 13 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 7 | 0% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 4 | 0% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 2 | 0% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 2 | 0% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 2 | 0% |
Most common cities for senior biologists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Barbara | 2 | 2% | $69,470 |
| 2 | Chesterfield | 1 | 2% | $53,116 |
| 3 | Paramount | 1 | 2% | $67,365 |
| 4 | Irvine | 2 | 1% | $66,823 |
| 5 | Gaithersburg | 1 | 1% | $63,103 |
| 6 | Pasadena | 1 | 1% | $67,648 |
| 7 | Santa Maria | 1 | 1% | $71,152 |
| 8 | Thousand Oaks | 1 | 1% | $68,288 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $67,714 |
| 10 | Bakersfield | 1 | 0% | $70,411 |
| 11 | Oakland | 1 | 0% | $77,950 |
| 12 | San Bernardino | 1 | 0% | $66,883 |
| 13 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $65,793 |
Senior Biologist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior biologist experts
University of Northern Iowa
Washburn University of Topeka
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Lake Superior State University
Santa Fe College
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Washington State University
Coastal Carolina University
Purdue University
University of Rhode Island
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Camellia Okpodu
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Camellia Okpodu: My advise would be to continue to network by joining affiliated associations in botany and Keep learning, stay updated on research, and explore new areas.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Amy Welsh Ph.D.: I think people like the freedom that the job enables. Many biologists have flexibility with scheduling. In addition, when they are at work they are doing something that really interests them anyway. Wildlife professionals aren't paid as much as some other professions so that would be a negative but there are trade offs that are rewarding.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Amy Welsh Ph.D.: Funding is very good for wildlife management in America. There are many different kinds of specific jobs someone can find depending on their interests (how much they want to work inside vs. outside, do they want to supervise, do they want to be a project leader, etc.)
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Amy Welsh Ph.D.: Depends on the specific job and the specific day. There are species project leaders (in fish, game, or conservation) that have specific research projects that require field work but also inside data analysis and writing. Most of these people have a M.S. degree. Someone entering the field with a B.S. typically does more outside work. This would depend on their specific job but may be data collection, taking care of wildlife management areas, etc.
Alison Hamilton
Assistant Teaching ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior 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.
What general advice would you give to a Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior Biologist?
Theresa Spradling: All of the jobs that biologists do help other people, and that brings biologists personal satisfaction with their job.
What Senior 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 Senior 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 will help Senior 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.
Scott Henke PhD
Regents ProfessorTexas A&M University - Kingsville
Wildlife And Wildlands Science And Management
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Scott Henke PhD: Be an active listener. Often new graduates what to show their knowledge, but being too eager to demonstrate what you know can be misunderstood as an attempt into being superior. If you are a new biologist in the area, research what issues face the citizens of the area first so you become aware of what may be needed. Then arrange a meeting with the key people or local groups and ask questions as to what they believe are their most important questions and concerns. During this meeting, only listen. Do not offer suggestions unless specifically asked to do so. Often people want to be heard so actively listen to their concerns. Get to know the locals as individuals. They will be more receptive to you as the ‘new’ person, if they feel respected by you first.
Also learn the local customs. People from different areas other than from where you grew up may do things differently. Don’t be judgmental as how things are done in the new area. Different is not necessarily wrong, its just a different way from what you may be accustomed to doing.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Scott Henke PhD: This answer will age me, but I think today’s generation relies too heavily on technology. Old school ‘hands-on’ training is becoming a lost art. New students, for the most part, seem to have spent little time outdoors and do not seem capable of recognizing animal signs (i.e. tracks, scat, feather, scraps, dens, fur, etc.). I think some of these “lost art” skills will be needed, and up-and-coming students who have such skills will be sought by agencies.
People skills will always be needed. Most kids get into wildlife management because they desire to work with animals, but quickly find out that much of wildlife jobs entail dealing with people. Being able to converse with kids to adults, from lay people to businessmen to scientists is always useful Get as much experience with people as you can. It will pay off. As a student, volunteer to give presentations to school classes, to Rotary Clubs, to Garden Clubs, and give scientific presentations at science-based conferences.
Also, learn how to identify plants. Plants are often thought of as the boring part for wildlife students; however, plants are habitat. Much of wildlife management is habitat management. Do not lessen the importance of this skill.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Scott Henke PhD: The trend in the wildlife field is to seek employees with higher degrees (i.e., MS degrees +), especially when seeking middle management or higher levels (research type job) or supervisory level positions. Therefore to ensure your competitiveness as you develop in your career, seek at least a MS level education. True story: I had a student (let’s call him Bill) who was not interested in a higher education nor did he take his coursework during his BS degree too seriously. Bill graduated from our wildlife program with a satisfactory GPA (~2.75, which is a C+ level). Not stellar, but good to graduate. Bill interviewed well and got a job with the state wildlife agency. After a year of working Bill was asked to train a new employee (who had a MS degree). That new employee eventually became Bill’s boss because the new employee held an advanced degree. Again, Bill was asked to train another student (again with a MS degree) and the same outcome happened again. This time Bill decided to never let it happen again and he desired to earn a MS degree. Unfortunately, Bill’s GPA from his BS degree (2.75) was insufficient to get accepted into a graduate level program. Bill is most likely as high a level as possible in his career, even though he is at best considered mid-career. The moral of this story is to make sure you do as well as possible in your BS program. Stay in school and retake classes if you must, but do not graduate with a BS degree unless you have at least a 3.0 GPA (3.25+ is better). You may not have a desire to ever get a graduate degree (MS or PhD); however, if the opportunity arises or if your job situation changes where a higher degree is needed, at least that door is still available to you. Look at your life in the long-term. Graduate school may not be desired NOW, but it may become necessary or desirable later. Don’t close that door on yourself by the age of 20. That’s too young to make a decision that could affect the rest of your life.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
Maureen Dunbar PhD
Program Chair/Associate Professor of BiologyPennsylvania State University - Berks
Information Science/Studies
What general advice would you give to a Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior Biologist?
Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski Ph.D.: Traditional fisheries skills such as setting and lifting nets, and collecting biological data from fish will continue to be important. Managing, analyzing, and interpreting data using spreadsheets and statistical software are also essential in fisheries. Other skills such as acoustic telemetry (deploying & maintaining receivers, implanting fish with transmitters), analyzing spatial data or other 'big data' sets, and laboratory skills (e.g., eDNA, water quality, emerging contaminants) are likely to increase in demand as technologies continue to develop.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski Ph.D.: For fisheries technicians, salary potential can be maximized by obtaining special skills and certifications (e.g., geospatial data analysis, captain's license). For fisheries biologists and researchers, salary potential can be maximized by earning a graduate degree.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski Ph.D.: Recent graduates in the areas of aquaculture, fishery science, and fisheries management should say yes to opportunities and challenge themselves. This might mean moving across the country for their first job, going to a workshop to learn a new skill, or presenting at a professional conference. Having a growth mindset will help early career professionals find the path that is best for them and build a rewarding career.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Jeff Heslep: Find a starting job that gives you a wide range of work to perform. The more experience you can gain during the first few years will help you to hone your skills, decide what areas interest you the most, and give you the opportunity to choose. Learn as much as you can about the various equipment, analytical techniques, processes, and how to troubleshoot minor problems. Take the initiative and ask to learn how to use instruments you aren't familiar with. It is unlikely someone will deny you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge. Take every chance you have to network and get to know the people within your local biotechnology industry. Networking plays a major role in employment opportunities. Work on your written and verbal communication skills. Communicating well will help you stand out. Being able to effectively convey complex scientific concepts in such a way that anyone can understand it can be a powerful skill.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Jennifer Slate PhD: Because there are so many types of jobs in biology, there is a job to suit everyone! Jobs may be people-oriented, focus primarily on labwork, or even allow one to spend time outdoors. Many (but not all) jobs in biology require further education after finishing the bachelor’s degree. Biology graduates often go on to health professional programs, to obtain teaching certification, or to obtain a master’s or PhD degree.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer Slate PhD: There is currently a huge demand for workers in biology and other STEM professions. Healthcare workers are especially needed in nursing, medicine, and physical therapy. There is a shortage of teachers, particularly those who can teach biology or other sciences. The huge amount of biological data that is available, such as in genetics and environmental biology, means that scientists with analytical skills have great job opportunities.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Slate PhD: There are so many different types of jobs in biology, to suit people of different interests. Biologists work in health care, in research labs, in environmental protection, and in teaching- just to name a few fields. Responsibilities on a day-to-day basis will depend upon the particular job field. Common skills required on a daily basis include use of computer software, ability to make and record detailed observations, and teamwork/communication skills.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Falk Huettmann: FH Many problems these days are complex in nature, and involve aspects of the living world. To be fluent on those aspects is essential and expertise is needed. A Biology degree can provide that skill set.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Falk Huettmann: FH Some people might dismiss education overall, others do not like to acknowledge, or work on, environmental or biological aspects. But reality remains, we are living beings and surrounded by the living world. We are part of the world's biology; so it's best to be fluent on those matters and well educated.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Falk Huettmann: FH Biology is a very big topic and a large discipline. Many biologists work on microbiological aspects. In my case our graduates often do biodiversity and species work, employing data, using geographic information system (GIS) mapping and modeling predictions using machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for environmental applications worldwide, e.g. climate change, impact and risk assessments. That's a big field for employment across the board.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Danielle Silvia: There are many emerging trends and changes in the natural world making biology a fascinating career to embark on. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of biology is predicted to see a 5% increase in job growth through 2032, as biologists are in high demand across areas such as healthcare, environmental science, sustainability, biotechnology, and more. Due to pressing issues like climate change, the disappearance of species and nature, public health crises, drug development, and genetic engineering, becoming a biologist today will provide career advancement tomorrow. You’ll have the opportunity to make a difference in important areas of society while pursuing an intellectually stimulating career for the long-term.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Danielle Silvia: A day in the life of a biologist typically involves researching various forms of life, such as bacteria, animals, plants, how they impact the world around them, and vice versa. Biologists may run experiments to work towards answering these questions, using some of the latest and greatest scientific tools and techniques in a laboratory setting. The job scope also includes collecting and reviewing data from research and experiments, and creating reports based on findings to solve important problems. Biologists work at all levels on organisms from the molecular to the whole organism to populations.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Danielle Silvia: Working in the field of biology offers a variety of distinct occupations, and the likes and dislikes may vary from person to person. However, if you’re somebody who enjoys thinking analytically, asking big questions then testing them, and exploring natural environments, this career path may be the right fit for you.
Derek Crane Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorCoastal Carolina University
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, And Population Biology
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Derek Crane Ph.D.: The great thing about biology is that it is an incredibly broad and diverse field that people with a variety of skill sets and interests can work in. Based on the field of biology someone is in, their day-to-day activities can vary from sampling and observing plants and animals, working in a lab processing samples, or analyzing data and communicating results (sometimes all within a single day for someone!). Entry-level biologists are typically involved in more of the hands-on work in the field or lab, collecting data, and as they gain experience they become more involved in the analytical and communication aspects of the job.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Derek Crane Ph.D.: I think that people enjoy careers in biology because they can continuously learn, the work can differ from day to day, and it allows them to be creative. Because biology is a science, learning in biology is based on data and evidence, and when data and evidence are ignored or not used in a decision-making process it can be frustrating.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Derek Crane Ph.D.: Some of our greatest challenges as a global society, such as food security under a changing climate, predicting, preventing, and handling of future pandemics, and rapid loss of biodiversity are based in biology. We need smart, energetic, and motivated people to address these issues.
Yan Cong
Purdue University
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Yan Cong: Develop some in-demand skills such as programming or generating content from text models via prompt engineering, et cetera. Get experience and extra income via paid summer internships.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Brian Plouffe PhD: Recent graduates in the biological sciences traditionally have a broad education in the many aspects of biology. Recent graduates are well prepared to enter the fields of pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, food processing and safety, environmental, and biotechnology. Graduates in the biological sciences may work outside in the field collecting samples for analysis or farms growing crops. Others may work in a research lab doing bench work in cell biology, microbiology, or genetics. Many graduates work in healthcare assisting with disease diagnostics and therapeutics. Given the broad nature of the field, the possibilities are endless on what someone could do with their career. No two days may be the same, and it is a very dynamic field to enter.
What Senior Biologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brian Plouffe PhD: The biological sciences are an ever-evolving field, so graduates may be at the forefront of innovation in the fields of drug discovery and development, agriculture, and healthcare. With the new advances in genetic engineering and molecular biology, graduates will be involved in future advances that may change the work of medicine, food insecurity and sustainability, and climate control. The broad education of recent graduates will also give the foundation to find and keep a career in a wide variety of fields and industries.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Brian Plouffe PhD: People in the field of biological sciences see the impact of their work on society, which drives them in their career. Biologists are involved in many of the advances that are happening in medicine, agriculture, and climate change, so people in these fields have fulfillment in their careers. That being said, as the field is advancing and growing, the field is also becoming more complex and advanced degrees have become more commonplace in the field. The biological sciences have become a field that is starting to demand more from their scientists, and the pay has not followed suit with these demands. Additionally, many biologists put in long hours and this time at the lab, in the field, and at lectures and conferences all contribute to many biologists' lack of a personal life outside the discipline.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Don’t hesitate to experiment with different career options before settling for one where you enjoy the work and make a good living.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Having an advanced degree such as a PhD and even a few years postdoc is a good way to start at a higher level. It often allows one to make up for the reduced earnings during the training periods while increasing long-term earnings.
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.
InstructorUniversity of Nebraska - Omaha
Neurobiology And Neurosciences
What general advice would you give to a Senior Biologist?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Apply for the positions you want, even if you feel underqualified. I know plenty of people who have applied for jobs they didn't quite meet the requirements for, and got hired for other reasons. In my experience, many recent graduates choose to take time to strengthen their resumes by retaking classes, working jobs they don't particularly want to get experience, etc. There is some value in that, particularly if you have been unsuccessful attaining the position you want, or if you want to see if you even enjoy that type of work. But if you are confident in what you want to do, go for it; in the worst-case scenario, you are in the same position you would be if you hadn't applied, but now you have experience applying and have potentially gained a contact in the field.
What will help Senior Biologists increase their earning potential?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Carve out a niche, and do things that make you stand out and be valuable in that space. For example, if you are inclined towards research, you can try and increase your publication count by volunteering or getting a job in a laboratory. Apply for any grants or fellowships that you can. This will increase your chances of getting hired at a higher salary in the future. If you want to teach, you can start by volunteering to guest lecture, adjunct some classes, create a new class that is all your own, present at teaching conferences, do analytics on your students to show how effective you are, etc. It is all about knowing what your field values and what makes people stand out.