Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation and research.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation and research. The role reports a median annual salary of $100,590 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $52,700 and $175,200 and is projected to grow 9% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.45 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £45,382 a year for Biological scientists (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2112). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Biochemistry — B.Sc / B.Sc (Hons) in Biochemistry (three years, or four with honours under NEP)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG
- Sports Science — B.Sc Sports Science or Sports and Exercise Science (three or four years)
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Biology
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Chemistry
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
A day in the life
You arrive at the lab early to check on cell cultures or animal models from an ongoing experiment, reviewing overnight data and adjusting protocols before the rest of the team arrives. Your day is spent designing and running experiments, analyzing results with statistical software, writing up findings for peer-reviewed journals, and meeting with your research group to troubleshoot failed assays or plan the next phase of a clinical trial. You interact with lab technicians, postdoctoral fellows, clinician collaborators, and grant-review panels, often pivoting between bench work and the administrative grind of writing grant proposals and institutional review board applications. The work is profoundly rewarding when your research leads to a new treatment or a breakthrough in understanding disease, but the long road from hypothesis to published result, combined with the uncertainty of funding cycles, demands persistence and passion.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
- Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
- Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
- Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.
- Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
- Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists do?
Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation and research.
What does a typical day look like in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists?
You arrive at the lab early to check on cell cultures or animal models from an ongoing experiment, reviewing overnight data and adjusting protocols before the rest of the team arrives. Your day is spent designing and running experiments, analyzing results with statistical software, writing up findings for peer-reviewed journals, and meeting with your research group to troubleshoot failed assays or plan the next phase of a clinical trial.
How much does Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earn?
The median annual salary for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in the US is $100,590. The middle 80% of workers earn between $52,700 and $175,200 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $68,810 and $137,000.
What is the job outlook for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists?
The role is projected to grow 9% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 165,300 workers.
How do I become medical scientists, except epidemiologists?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Writing. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists?
Our AI-durability model gives Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists a score of 0.45 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.