Will AI replace biochemists and biophysicists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 43m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 7h 17m (91%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 12.3% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 24 tasks, about 43m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes. (27m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Study the mutations in organisms that lead to cancer or other diseases. (16m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 17 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 2 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

7h 17m of a typical shift, or 91%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Design or perform experiments with equipment, such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers. (59m a shift)
• Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences. (48m a shift)
• Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research. (37m a shift)
• Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work. (32m a shift)
• Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research. (32m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 60% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 50% talk face to face with others every day

For the 1 task in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 17h 52m for a person alone and about 47m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes (about 17h 52m alone, 47m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Scientific Research & Development sector are at 84% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 19.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 2,900 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $127,410 a year ($61.26 an hour), 150% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $74,290 and $201,110 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 12.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 40,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,900 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 34,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 456th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 40,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is post-doctoral training: about 40% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Mathematics, Learning Strategies, Active Learning
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 17m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: R, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Analyze biochemical or biophysical data.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Molecular and Cellular Biologists (21m touched, $99k median pay)
• Microbiologists (1h 10m touched, $88k median pay)
• Geneticists (3h 36m touched, $99k median pay)
• Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers (1h 28m touched, $109k median pay)
• Biologists (1h 52m touched, $99k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 22 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.