Bioinformatics Scientist

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Work Tasks

BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTISTS study plant and animal life and their relationships to one another. They conduct research using bioinformatics theory and methods in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, and medical informatics. Bioinformatics scientists use mathematics and computers to store and analyze information about genetics and molecular evolution. Major research areas include sequence analysis, genomics, computational evolutionary biology, protein expression, and Cancer mutations.

Salary, Size & Growth

• $77,500 average per year ($37.25 per hour)
• A medium occupation (30,400 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (1.9% per year)

Entry Requirements

BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTISTS with a Ph.D. may become head of a research team, or advance to administrative positions such as a university department head.