• Question: How much money do scientists earn a year? £££££$$$$$$€€€€€

    Asked by A Double- Alexis&Alfie to Craig, Marta, Natalie, Nicholas on 15 Mar 2017. This question was also asked by ᙭᙭᙭-ᗰᒪG_ᑭᖇO.
    • Photo: Marta Varela

      Marta Varela answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      Hi A Double-Alexis & Alfie.

      It varies a lot. Like in all jobs, scientists who are more senior and have more responsibilities are rewarded with higher salaries. I think PhD students (who are typically the least experienced scientists) earn from about £16,000/year, but usually don’t have to pay tax. A mid-career scientist working for a University earns, I would say, £30,000-£50,000 and professors can earn quite a bit more.

      Few scientists aim to earn a lot of money, I think. (If that is your goal, a science degree can often let you work for banks or other companies were salaries and bonuses are much higher.) I think most scientists really enjoy their job and want to find something out that helps other people (we call that “making a contribution”).

      Are you interested in becoming scientists too?

    • Photo: Craig O'Hare

      Craig O'Hare answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      I earn £16,ooo a year as a PhD student. This might not seem like a lot but my stipend is tax free so it goes a little bit further. This amount also varies depending on where you work and who is funding you. Generally if you work in the South East of England you will make a little more to cover the increased costs of living.

      As a post doc (i.e. someone with a PhD but isn’t leading their own group) you make between £30-40 depending on location experience, this increases with group leaders or professors.

      As Marta has pointed out, the pay isn’t really amazing in Science. A lot of people who I went to university with took jobs in law or industry or applied to study medicine with a hope to earning more long term. While it might not pay the most, science does have a lot of flexibility though. There are also other perks like getting to travel for conferences and seminars too.

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