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Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Also called: Clinical Research Scientist, Research Scientist, Scientist, Study Director

Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$103,410
Openings a year BLS, 2025–3510,500
Typical education to start BLSDoctoral or professional degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Very high
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +12.6%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 12.6% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 1.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Medical scientists”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 39% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 86% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$54k$137knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$68,490$60,950 to $82,900not published
Alaska$104,930$96,760 to $151,360260
Arizona$116,820$81,840 to $136,2602,190
Arkansas$72,530$64,200 to $94,590230
California$136,990$109,570 to $162,02029,830
Connecticut$116,990$85,070 to $140,4202,410
Delaware$100,190$74,130 to $149,010270
District of Columbia$101,940$78,160 to $131,810670
Florida$94,940$78,510 to $143,9206,490
Georgia$92,450$76,630 to $126,8801,910
Idaho$83,010$76,270 to $102,740380
Illinois$82,330$65,570 to $104,7004,700
Indiana$81,110$68,540 to $110,4602,010
Iowa$83,850$67,190 to $104,0201,060
Kansas$84,490$72,700 to $126,4401,070
Kentucky$77,580$65,020 to $95,240670
Maine$93,730$73,860 to $185,940100
Maryland$106,000$83,020 to $133,4006,760
Massachusetts$128,210$97,520 to $167,94017,100
Michigan$84,310$68,470 to $95,8702,370
Minnesota$89,950$81,780 to $105,6706,760
Mississippi$54,040$41,360 to $72,120440
Missouri$102,540$78,780 to $134,3903,650
Montana$101,950$78,820 to $104,660320
Nebraska$80,970$66,080 to $93,250620
Nevada$98,560$86,470 to $106,300530
New Hampshire$100,650$83,080 to $112,890210
New Jersey$129,280$95,520 to $164,9306,120
New Mexico$67,100$53,230 to $84,280340
New York$87,760$80,960 to $130,5107,690
North Carolina$102,980$79,780 to $134,5605,730
North Dakota$64,470$60,950 to $82,220250
Ohio$83,910$66,690 to $105,6904,840
Oklahoma$76,480$66,410 to $92,410920
Oregon$111,030$83,680 to $168,2801,030
Pennsylvania$99,190$76,660 to $160,50012,630
Puerto Rico$49,650$39,000 to $99,89080
Rhode Island$103,370$81,720 to $136,340670
South Carolinanot publishednot published1,020
South Dakota$80,890$64,420 to $89,220140
Tennessee$102,720$81,720 to $129,9404,020
Texas$80,470$67,010 to $106,11011,920
Utah$82,940$69,220 to $108,4601,560
Vermont$66,500$66,500 to $83,450110
Virginia$93,620$77,120 to $134,9404,560
Washington$105,680$80,950 to $135,9006,150
West Virginia$82,690$72,350 to $106,710330
Wisconsin$82,530$69,400 to $101,1402,970

Nationally: $103,410. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks

5 · AI alone could halve the time 6 · AI + software built on it could 3 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI + software Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination. Not published
AI + software Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels. Not published
AI alone Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease. Not published
AI + software Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public. under 0.01%
AI alone Write and publish articles in scientific journals. Not published
Not much Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure. Not published
See all 14 tasks
Not much Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians. Not published
AI + software Study animal and human health and physiological processes. Not published
AI alone Write applications for research grants. under 0.01%
Not much Use equipment such as atomic absorption spectrometers, electron microscopes, flow cytometers, or chromatography systems. Not published
AI + software Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites. under 0.01%
AI alone Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, and others regarding medical applications of physics, biology, and chemistry. under 0.01%
AI + software Standardize drug dosages, methods of immunization, and procedures for manufacture of drugs and medicinal compounds. Not published
AI alone Confer with health departments, industry personnel, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up11 of 14 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most4 of 15 activities
  • #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
  • #20 Present research or technical information
  • #26 Research healthcare issues
  • and 1 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise 408#4 247#8
Present research or technical information 100#20 339#6
Research biological or ecological phenomena 35#45 3.66#104
Develop operational or technical procedures or standards 13#79 9.18#68
Research healthcare issues 71#26 3.45#108
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues 17#62 47#29
Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data 15#68 3.48#107
Show all 15 activities
Analyze health or medical data 5.82#118 1.21#154
Develop research plans or methodologies 4.23#139 1.03#168
Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance 3.59#153 0.73#180
Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics 1.54#212 0.13#264
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Direct scientific or technical activities 1.24#227 1.58#137
Operate laboratory or field equipment 0.37#280 0.02#302
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Direct scientific or technical activities” holds 1 task rated AI alone, yet people asked AI for help with it in 1.24 of every 10,000 conversations, #227 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An explanation or answer71%
  • A document or report6%
  • An analysis or summary6%
  • An academic paper or thesis4%
  • A chart or visualization4%

How they worked with Claude

23% handed the task off77% worked on it together

18% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for medical scientists, except epidemiologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Medical scientists, except epidemiologists: +12.6%Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Medical scientists, except epidemiologists: +12.6%Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 62,045 moves out

  1. 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 13%
  2. 2 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
  3. 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
  4. 4 Natural Sciences Managers High +8.2% 6%
  5. 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%

Where people moved in from

of 60,626 moves in

  1. 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 14%
  2. 2 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
  3. 3 Natural Sciences Managers High +8.2% 4%
  4. 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
  5. 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 8% bachelor's
  • 25% master's
  • 7% post-master's certificate
  • 36% research doctorate
  • 25% post-doctoral training

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 2% less than high school
  • 1% high school
  • 1% some college
  • 33% bachelor's
  • 24% master's
  • 7% professional degree
  • 33% doctorate

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Medical scientists” · 1,723 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Medical scientists”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
58 programs, such as Biomedical Sciences, General, Biochemistry and Biophysics.
See all
  • Biomedical Sciences, General
  • Biochemistry
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Molecular Biochemistry
  • Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
  • Anatomy
  • Developmental Biology and Embryology
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology and Anatomy
  • Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
  • Virology
  • Parasitology
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Infectious Disease and Global Health
  • Human/Medical Genetics
  • Physiology, General
  • Molecular Physiology
  • Cell Physiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
  • Vision Science/Physiological Optics
  • Pathology/Experimental Pathology
  • Oncology and Cancer Biology
  • Aerospace Physiology and Medicine
  • Biomechanics
  • Physiology, Pathology, and Related Sciences, Other
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Neuropharmacology
  • Toxicology
  • Molecular Toxicology
  • Environmental Toxicology
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other
  • Biostatistics
  • Epidemiology
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Neuroanatomy
  • Neurobiology and Anatomy
  • Neurobiology and Behavior
  • Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other
  • Biopsychology
  • Gerontology
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Medical Science/Scientist
  • Clinical and Translational Science
  • Tropical Medicine
  • Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies, Other
  • Pharmaceutics and Drug Design
  • Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
  • Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Environmental Health

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)

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