Research scientist (life sciences) job profile

Life science researchers play a key role in making advances and developing new products across a range of areas from biotechnology to stem cell research

As a researcher in life sciences, you'll mostly be involved in planning and conducting experiments and analysing results. This could either be for a definite end use, such as to develop new products, processes or commercial applications, or to broaden scientific understanding in general.

You'll usually carry out your experiments and research on your own, but you'll typically be part of a larger team and will share your findings and relevant information with colleagues. This is sometimes done at international conferences or through the publication of research papers.

You can find employment in commercial or government laboratories, hospitals and higher education institutions.

Types of work

You will usually target your research on a particular area of life science depending on your interests. There are various fields to consider including:

bioinformatics
biotechnology
genomics
microbiology
neurosciences
oncology
pharmacology
physiology
plant sciences
stem cell research.

The work is close to the medical sciences but also crosses over into other areas such as biochemistry.

Responsibilities

The work you do will depend on the specific area of life sciences you work in, your level of seniority and whether you're in an industrial or academic setting.

However, in general you may need to:

create and conduct experiments
process and analyse results and data
communicate results to the scientific community via published papers
collaborate with industry/academia to apply the results of research and develop new techniques, products or practices
present ongoing work and findings to colleagues at academic conferences, and summarise the nature of the research, methodology and results
carry out field work to inform research
teach, demonstrate to or supervise students (in academia) and train and supervise other members of staff
devise or help to draw up new research proposals and apply for funding
work in multidisciplinary teams, in different faculties or schools in academia, and in different functions of the business in industry
carry out peer reviews of written publications and presentations to validate theories and inform research
keep up to date with the work of other scientists
attend academic conferences across the world and regularly read industry journals.

Salary

Funding for PhDs is available through various routes and one of these is a PhD studentship. As well as covering tuition fees and project/training costs, some studentships also provide a tax-free stipend to help cover living costs. This is currently at least £19,237 (for the 2024/25 academic year) if funded by UKRI. Some institutions may award higher amounts or you may receive more if you’re industry funded or based in London.
Once you are working as a research scientist after completing your PhD, you could earn in the region of £25,000 to £40,000 depending on your specialist subject and experience.
University professors or senior researchers with high levels of responsibility, such as at principal investigator level, can achieve salaries of £50,000 to £75,000.

Starting salaries are comparable between academia and industry, but private sector salaries at senior levels tend to be higher, particularly within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas.

The majority of academic institutions in the UK have now implemented a single pay spine for all grades of staff. Pay varies according to whether you're leader of your own research group, part of a team of researchers or whether you've secured a lectureship while continuing your research.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Your hours will typically vary depending on whether you're in academia or industry. In academia in particular, there may be some flexibility with your start and finish times. Due to the nature of experimental work, hours can be irregular and may require some evening or weekend work.

If you're based in industry, your hours may be slightly longer and you may have to work to fit in with shift patterns and commercial deadlines.

You may also be required to work longer hours when grant application deadlines are looming or an important experiment is underway.

What to expect

The majority of work is laboratory based, with some time spent in the office planning and writing up experiments. Field work is required for some roles. Travel to and from clients' and colleagues' offices may also be required, particularly if projects are collaborations between industry and academia, or cross-university projects.
Many researchers are employed on fixed-term contracts, associated with finite funding for particular projects. Most contracts last for several years. Permanent posts are highly sought after and are more common within industry than academia.
Opportunities within life science organisations are available across the UK but some regions are particularly strong in certain fields. The largest regional concentrations of science industry employment are in the South East and East of England.
Experimental work may involve working with hazardous and toxic materials. Experiments with animals or animal-based products may also be part of the research.
Travel overseas, as well as in the UK, is sometimes necessary for attending conferences and seminars. Certain research areas, such as environmental science and ecology, may involve international field work. There are also opportunities for overseas employment as many life science companies have global offices and universities collaborate with other institutions worldwide.
Various initiatives are in place to encourage equality, inclusion and diversity within the life sciences. UKRI has equality, diversity and inclusion policies and guidance with the aim to create a dynamic system of research and innovation in the UK.

Qualifications

You'll typically need a good honours degree, usually a 2:1 or above, in a related-science subject to get into life sciences research.

Any subject based in the areas of health, medicine, agriculture, horticulture or biology should be appropriate, but the following subjects are particularly useful:

biochemistry
biomedical science
crop and plant science
ecology
environmental biology
microbiology
natural sciences
pharmacology.

Many employers also require you to have either a research-based MSc or a PhD, or to be working towards one. This is particularly important for higher level positions and career progression without a PhD (particularly in academia) is likely to be limited.

It may be possible to enter with just an undergraduate honours degree if you have substantial laboratory experience and you can then possibly study part time for a postgraduate qualification to then progress on to a more senior role.

Entry to a technician-level job may be possible with a foundation degree or HND, but further study would be required in order to progress beyond this level.

Funding is given to research institutions via the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). This is then passed on to students in the form of scholarships, bursaries and studentships. You should contact your preferred university, research institute or industrial partner to find out more about the funding options. More information is also available at BBSRC.

Skills

You'll need to have:

a methodical approach to analysing and processing data
problem-solving skills when carrying out experiments
good time management and organisational skills
the ability to work independently
strong communication skills for writing papers, reports and bids and for giving presentations
the ability and desire to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams
tenacity and patience, to see experiments through from design to completion
networking skills, and the ability to build effective links with external organisations.

Work experience

Practical laboratory experience and knowledge of the range of techniques used will improve your chances when applying for research jobs. This experience can be achieved through a placement year in industry during your degree or vacation work.

Try to gain experience in both academia and industry as it will help to illustrate how the two environments differ and will inform your future career choice. You could make speculative applications to potential academic supervisors to ask for work experience or shadowing opportunities.

You should also try to keep up with developments in the area and read peer reviews. Organisations such as the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) provide news and publications relevant to the field and can be a good way to stay up to date.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

The life sciences sector is broad and you can find work with a variety of employers including:

clinical research organisations
large pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies
national and global health-related charities
NHS trusts and private hospitals
research councils and their associated institutes
scientific and technical consultancies
universities, including those overseas.

Job opportunities may also be available through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP). This is a joint project between a graduate, an organisation and a 'knowledge base', such as a university or a research organisation, which allows PhD graduates to apply research in a commercial environment.

Look for job vacancies at:

Specialist recruitment agencies are also widely used within the scientific community. These include:

Professional development

If you're studying for a PhD while working in a life science research post, you'll be supported by a supervisor. Your institution is likely to provide additional training or you can access this through Vitae, which helps to support the professional development of researchers.

The scientific and research skills you'll have acquired while studying for your PhD are viewed as appropriate basic training for more senior research positions. However, increasingly PhD researchers are also expected to possess a range of additional non-technical skills such as leadership management.

Continuing professional development (CPD) throughout your career is important to help you to keep up to date with new techniques, skills and innovations. Institutions such as the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) can help with CPD through events and providing industry news.

Conferences are also extremely useful for hearing about scientific advances and new research methods and you'll be expected to attend them regularly. You may also need to present your own work on occasions.

Jobs in industry tend to be accompanied by structured training programmes that may include completing placements in different functions of the organisation, working with a mentor and drawing up personal development plans with line managers.

All researchers involved in laboratory work are required to participate in training on health and safety and good laboratory practice (GLP). This training may include risk assessment workshops and control of substances hazardous to health regulations (COSHH) training.

It's also possible to acquire professional membership with a relevant institution such as the Royal Society of Biology, and to work towards chartered biologist status.

Career prospects

In academia, progression is reasonably well defined, with most researchers aiming towards the level of senior research fellow or professor, leading research teams. You can achieve this through experience, successful research projects and publishing original, high-quality research.

Senior roles are accompanied by increased responsibility (i.e. securing funding) and additional teaching, supervisory and administrative duties, which means there can be less time for practical research work.

In industry, you may progress towards senior scientific research or management roles, which are also accompanied by additional responsibilities, such as supervising and managing projects. Alternatively it's possible to move into another area of the organisation, such as business development, production or a regulatory role.

You're also able to move into media or communications roles. Public understanding of science is a topical growth area with many new opportunities, and jobs for journalists with a scientific background are becoming more widespread. Find out more about becoming a science writer.

Another career path open to you once you have experience is consultancy. You could become involved in the technical and commercial evaluation of new ideas, products and technologies, providing scientific expertise to projects.

Research scientist (life sciences)