I do lots of cell lab experiments working in a hood and taking care of cells in petri dishes that are grown inside of an incubator to mimic the human body. In the main lab, you'll see me doing lots of molecular biology and experiments involving manipulating DNA. I attend many seminars to hear about the work of others, and I give my own seminars to present my work as well. I also co-founded an org that promotes diversity amongst scientists, so there's some administrative work involved with that.
CAREER
Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$82,530
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+3.8% (slower than the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Molecular and Cellular Biologists Do
Research and study cellular molecules and organelles to understand cell function and organization.
Other Job Titles Molecular and Cellular Biologists May Have
Molecular Biologist, Research Scientist
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- 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.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Bachelor's degree (35%)
Bachelor's degree
Post-doctoral training
Doctoral degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Bachelor
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Doctorate
Genetics, General
Associates
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
You have to tap into your creative side - science requires a lot of creativity, and the ability to think outside the box. Biology is complex and mysterious: we think we know what's going on, but you have to recognize that you'll have huge blind spots in your knowledge, and then you have to be able to think flexibly and think around problems in order to solve them. You also have to have a lot of confidence and good self-esteem. Science is challenging! You have to be okay with failing.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
It's a really long path that you have to go down before you can start doing postdoctoral work, so make sure that you have that passion and endurance to put in all of those years of schooling and hard work. The best way to test the waters is through an internship, so start looking for those as early as high school. You'll be able to see that research in the real world is much, much different than the science that you're taught in text books, plus, you'll have a head start going into college!
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
