Skip to main content

Home / Occupations / Biologist

Biologist

Biologist profiles score highest on Analyzing and Exploring. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$98,920per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Graduate or professional degreetypical for the occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 19-1029.04 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

Skills rated most important

Science91
Reading Comprehension78
Writing78
Active Listening75
Critical Thinking75

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams84
Contact With Others75
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled70
Spend Time Sitting67
Spend Time Standing39
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled34
Spend Time Walking or Running33
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body27
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance20
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling20
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles6

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Biologist profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Analyzing98
Exploring87
Organizing58
Operating52
Law-Abiding50
Persevering49
Harmonizing38
Safety-Seeking38
Influencing30
Helping28
Creating24

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • High Persevering. Measures your persistence and resilience in the face of challenges. High scorers push through obstacles, maintain long-term focus, and value grit as both means and end.
  • High Law-Abiding. Measures your commitment to ethics, rules, and fairness. High scorers value honesty, follow procedures, and prefer environments with clear moral guidelines.
  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.

Friction points

  • Low Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • Low Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • Low Persevering. Measures your persistence and resilience in the face of challenges. High scorers push through obstacles, maintain long-term focus, and value grit as both means and end.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Graduate or professional degree.

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Biologist?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

Start the assessment