Science
Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Research and study cellular molecules and organelles to understand cell function and organization.
Median salary
$93,330
Typical range
$55k – $160k
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Molecular and Cellular Biologists Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Entry / Junior
$54,500
~2 yrs to advance
Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Established
$93,330
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Senior
$126,555
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
- •Maintain accurate laboratory records and data.
- •Design molecular or cellular laboratory experiments, oversee their execution, and interpret results.
- •Write grant applications to obtain funding.
- •Perform laboratory procedures following protocols including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, cloning and extraction, ribonucleic acid (RNA) purification, or gel electrophoresis.
- •Conduct research on cell organization and function, including mechanisms of gene expression, cellular bioinformatics, cell signaling, or cell differentiation.
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.