Science
Bioinformatics Scientists
Conduct research using bioinformatics theory and methods in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. May design databases and develop algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic information, or other biological information.
Median salary (BLS)
$98,920
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$60k – $168k
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 4 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $119,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Bioinformatics Scientists
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Bioinformatics Scientists Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Bioinformatics Scientists
Entry / Junior
$60,430
~2 yrs to advance
Bioinformatics Scientists
Established
$98,920
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Bioinformatics Scientists
Senior
$133,465
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Develop new software applications or customize existing applications to meet specific scientific project needs.
- •Communicate research results through conference presentations, scientific publications, or project reports.
- •Create novel computational approaches and analytical tools as required by research goals.
- •Consult with researchers to analyze problems, recommend technology-based solutions, or determine computational strategies.
- •Analyze large molecular datasets, such as raw microarray data, genomic sequence data, or proteomics data, for clinical or basic research purposes.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Science
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- California Institute of Technology3% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.