Work Environment
Microbiologists held about 21,400 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of microbiologists were as follows:
- Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences - 31%
- Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing - 13%
- Federal government, excluding postal service - 11%
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private - 8%
- State government, excluding education and hospitals - 6%
Microbiologists typically work in laboratories, offices, and industrial settings where they conduct experiments and analyze the results. Microbiologists who work with dangerous organisms must follow strict safety procedures to avoid contamination. Some microbiologists may conduct onsite visits or collect samples from the environment or worksites, and, as a result, may travel occasionally and spend some time outside.
Basic researchers who work in academia usually choose the focus of their research and run their own laboratories. Applied researchers who work for companies study the products that the company will sell or suggest modifications to the production process so that the company can become more efficient. Basic researchers often need to fund their research by winning grants. These grants often put pressure on researchers to meet deadlines and other specifications. Research grants are generally awarded through a competitive selection process.
Work Schedules
Most microbiologists work full time and keep regular hours.
Job Outlook
Employment of microbiologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 2,000 openings for microbiologists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Microbiologists will be needed to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies develop drugs that are produced with the aid of microorganisms. In addition, employers will need microbiologists to ensure quality and production efficiency in a range of companies, including food products and chemical plants.
In agriculture, microbiologists will be needed to help develop genetically engineered crops that provide greater yields or require less pesticide and fertilizer. Finally, efforts to discover new and improved ways to preserve the environment and safeguard public health also will make use of microbiologists.
However, since microbiologists can be heavily involved in research and development (R&D) work, growth in this occupation may be limited by R&D funding constraints.
Earnings
The median annual wage for microbiologists was $79,260 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,630, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $136,780.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for microbiologists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Federal government, excluding postal service - $114,050
- Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences - $101,680
- Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing - $72,490
- State government, excluding education and hospitals - $63,940
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private - $62,260
Most microbiologists work full time and keep regular hours.
Academic Programs of Interest
Anatomy
Anatomy is the branch of biology that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that can include human anatomy, animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytotomy).
The history of anatomy has been characterized, over time, by a continually developing understanding of the functions of organs and structures in the body. Methods have also advanced dramatically, advancing from examination...
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Aquatic Biology
In Aquatic Biology you will study an ecosystem located in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems that you can study are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems.
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Biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. Biology examines the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living things. It classifies and describes organisms, their functions, how species come into existence, and the interactions they have with each other and with the natural environment. Four unifying principles form the foundation of modern biology: cell theory, evolution, genetics and homeostasis.
Most biological sciences are specialized...
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Botany/Plant Biology
Botany is the scientific study of plant life. As a branch of biology, it is also called plant science(s), phytology, or plant biology. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines that study plants, algae, and fungi including: structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, and chemical properties and evolutionary relationships between the different groups.
The study of plants and botany began with tribal lore, used...
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Cell Biology
Cell biology is an academic discipline that studies cells. This includes their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level. Cell biology research extends to both the great diversity of single-celled organisms like bacteria and the many specialized cells in multicellular organisms like humans.
Knowing...
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Environmental Science
Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment. It is an interdisciplinary science overlapping the categories in Natural sciences, Engineering sciences and Social sciences. In nature, Environmental science focuses on pollution and degradation of the environment related to human activities and their impact on biodiversity and sustainability. As an interdisciplinary field, environmental science also applies knowledge from...
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Genetics
Genetics is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the mechanisms of inheritance, only began with the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-1800s.
A geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics, the science of heredity and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be a physician, but not always. A geneticist can also be...
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Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. Microbiology is a broad term which includes many branches like virology, mycology, parasitology and others. A person who specializes in the area of microbiology is called a microbiologist.
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Molecular Biology
Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationship of DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated.
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Molecular Genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology which studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology. It is so-called to differentiate it from other sub fields of genetics such as ecological genetics and population genetics. An important area within molecular...
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Neurobiology
Neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and mediate behavior.
Most neurobiology training takes place in Ph.D.-granting graduate programs from biological sciences departments, interdisciplinary neuroscience programs, or neurobiology departments.
The person who attends such graduate program typically have their undergraduate training in biology, biochemistry, or some other related field. Once...
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Plant Pathology
Plant Pathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious diseases) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like organisms, phytoplasmas, protozoa, nematodes and parasitic plants. Not included are insects, mites, vertebrate or other pests that affect plant health by consumption of plant tissues.
Plant Pathology also involves the study of the identification,...
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