Science jobs in higher education refer to professional roles within universities and colleges centered on the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, and astronomy. These positions drive discovery, educate future scientists, and apply knowledge to real-world challenges. Unlike general academic roles, science jobs emphasize empirical research, experimentation, and quantitative analysis. For instance, a physicist might model quantum behaviors, while a biologist investigates genetic mutations.
The demand for science jobs remains strong due to global needs in health, energy, and environment. In 2023, U.S. universities hired over 10,000 science faculty, per National Science Foundation data, with similar trends worldwide. These roles offer intellectual freedom and societal impact, making them rewarding for PhD holders passionate about inquiry.
Science positions trace back to ancient scholars like Aristotle, but modern forms emerged in the 19th century with research universities like Germany's Humboldt model, emphasizing teaching and research unity. The 20th century saw explosive growth post-World War II, fueled by funding like the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. Today, science jobs adapt to interdisciplinary fields like neuroscience and environmental science, reflecting evolving priorities.
Science jobs vary by career stage. Entry-level research assistants (RAs) support experiments, data collection, and lab maintenance. Postdoctoral researchers advance independent projects, often publishing in journals like Nature. Faculty roles split into:
Lecturers focus more on instruction, while professors lead labs and mentor students. Check tips for research assistants to start strong.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in a relevant science field is the minimum for most science jobs, typically taking 4-6 years post-bachelor's. Research focus or expertise needed includes specialized knowledge, such as molecular biology or particle physics, proven through dissertation work.
Preferred experience encompasses 2-5 years of postdoctoral training, 5+ peer-reviewed publications, and successful grant applications (e.g., from NSF or ERC). For faculty science jobs, teaching experience via TAships is vital.
Science jobs demand:
Develop these through conferences and collaborations. Recent trends, like the Mpemba effect research, highlight innovative thinking.
Peer-Reviewed Publication: A research paper vetted by experts for validity, essential for science jobs credibility.
Tenure-Track: A probationary path (5-7 years) to permanent faculty status based on merit.
Principal Investigator (PI): Lead researcher directing projects and grants in science jobs.
Interdisciplinary Science: Combining fields, e.g., bioinformatics merging biology and computing.
Start as a research assistant or postdoc, then target assistant professor roles. Network at conferences, build a strong online presence via Google Scholar, and tailor applications. Use lecturer career advice for insights. Salaries average $100,000-$150,000 USD for professors, varying by country and seniority.
Dive into higher-ed jobs listings, get career tips from higher-ed career advice, browse university jobs, or post a job to attract top talent. AcademicJobs.com connects you to global opportunities in research and faculty positions.
Science jobs worldwide span wet labs, field stations, core facilities, and computational groups — and they are rarely labelled the same way twice. One employer posts “Scientist,” another “Associate Scientist,” another a faculty science line with a heavy research load. Academic Jobs pulls those titles into one science-filtered board so you can compare roles by discipline and location instead of guessing which keyword a university HR team used.
Search intent here is practical: you want a science job you can apply for, with a clear employer, city, and closing date. The heading count is the current number of matching science openings worldwide. Use Advanced Search to add a method or field (genomics, ecology, materials, neuroscience), a city, or an institution. If you are open to related research-track titles, switch to Research Jobs without leaving the same board.
AJ is useful because science hiring in universities is fragmented. A hospital-affiliated medical school, a faculty of science, and a government-funded institute may all hire “scientists” in the same city and never share a careers page. AJ is the layer that sits on top of those boards. Create an alert with the science filters already applied on this page so you see new associate-scientist and faculty science posts as they go live — important when closing dates are two or three weeks out.
General job sites mix biotech industry ads with academic science. That is fine if you want industry; it is noise if you want a university or research-institute contract, pension, and PI. AJ keeps the default on higher education. If your goal is “find science jobs worldwide at universities and institutes, not a generic STEM feed,” start here, filter once, and apply from the listing. That is the search this page is built to answer.
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