Bioinformaticians salary: Bioinformatician Salary (June 2023) – Zippia

How much do bioinformaticians earn?

Bioinformatician graduates are highly desirable specialists. But is this high demand also reflected in their salary? It all depends on their chosen career path.

Starting salaries for bioinformaticians are higher in the public sector than in industry

© Imken / Photocase

Contents

Bioinformatics in Germany: A wide range of salaries

Career options for bioinformaticians are diverse. From the chemical industry to IT, there is a choice of various industries. There are also various possibilities for graduates in terms of content in this relatively new area of study. The range of salaries is correspondingly broad. They can earn anything between EUR 24,000 per year for at the start of their career to a gross annual salary of about EUR 70,000.

In general, a bioinformatician’s salary depends on the nature of their degree and their prior professional experience. However, the sector also plays a role: In the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, earnings are usually more generous than in biotechnology and research. As a rule, the following applies: The bigger the company, the higher the salary. Ultimately, however, it always depends on the individual’s ability to negotiate the amount on the payroll.

In the public sector, bioinformaticians are paid in accordance with the current collective agreement (TVöD). In this sector, salaries are generally lower than those paid by businesses. Unlike in the private sector, employees are unlikely to obtain a higher salary on the basis of their bargaining skills, as the public sector pays on the basis of fixed salary scales.

Factors that influence salary:

• Degree
• Professional experience & qualifications
• Location
• Size of company
• Sector
• Field of activity
• Negotiating skills (if the salary is not collectively established)

Starting salary for bioinformaticians 

Although bioinformaticians are sought after in the labour market, young professionals at the beginning of their careers are often forced to settle for a comparatively low salary. This is particularly true for applicants with a bachelor’s degree. They start in the sector with a monthly salary of about EUR 2,000 to EUR 2,400 gross. Graduates with a master’s degree can expect to earn EUR 2,300 to EUR 2,800 gross in their first job.

In the public sector, bachelor’s graduates are given pay grades E 9 to E 12, while bioinformaticians with a master’s degree or PhD are paid at grades E 13 to E 15. The pay grade is often specified in the job description. What the classification means in terms of specific figures depends on the specific collective agreement. The TVöD Bund applies to employment relationships with the federal government. If the employer is a federal state, for example when working at a university, the collective agreement for the civil service of the federal states (TV-L) applies. There are corresponding pay scales for both collective agreements.

Two specific examples:

• B.Sc. bioinformatician, pay grade 10, level 1 (= beginner), employed in the civil service by a federal state: EUR 3,089. 22 gross per month
• M.Sc. bioinformatician, pay grade 13, level 1 (= beginner), employed by the federal government: EUR 3,827.03 gross per month

(as of February 2019)

The starting salaries for bioinformaticians are therefore usually higher in the civil service than in the private sector. However, this often reverses with increasing work experience. Remuneration in the public sector increases gradually over the duration of the employment relationship. But the levels of development often lag behind the salaries that bioinformaticians can achieve in the private sector once they have some work experience.

Salaries for bioinformaticians with work experience

With increasing work experience bioinformaticians become more qualified and generally tend to take on more responsibility. This is reflected in their salary. According to data provided by the portal Steuerklassen.com, bioinformaticians can expect a monthly starting salary of EUR 3,100 to EUR 3,700 gross. Note, however, that the factors mentioned here can result in outliers – at both the top and bottom of the range.

The nationwide average salary can be used for rough orientation: According to the portal Gehaltsvergleich.com, bioinformaticians in Germany earn a monthly average of EUR 4,527 gross. In general, those who continue to participate in regular training, take on more responsibility and are able to negotiate well tend to achieve higher salaries.

Regional salary differences

Salaries are usually higher in southern Germany than in the rest of the country. Workers in cities and metropolitan areas also usually tend to receive higher salaries than in the countryside – although the cost of living is lower in these areas. This general trend also applies to the salaries of bioinformaticians, as shown in the table below.

Average salary for bioinformaticians by federal state

Federal state	First quartile*	Average	Third quartile
Germany	EUR 3,543	EUR 4,527	EUR 7,070
Baden-Wuerttemberg	EUR 3,352	EUR 4,385	EUR 9,689
Bavaria	EUR 3,395	EUR 4,515	EUR 6,842
Berlin	EUR 4,045	EUR 4,726	EUR 4,904
Brandenburg	EUR 2,797	EUR 3,573	EUR 5,581
Bremen	EUR 3,488	EUR 4,457	EUR 6,960
Hamburg	EUR 3,265	EUR 4,599	EUR 6,927
Hesse	EUR 3,938	EUR 4,540	EUR 4,692
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	EUR 2,690	EUR 3,438	EUR 5,370
Lower Saxony	EUR 3,812	EUR 4,203	EUR 4,383
North Rhine-Westphalia	EUR 3,998	EUR 4,276	EUR 5,447
Rhineland-Palatinate	EUR 3,723	EUR 4,758	EUR 7,431
Saarland	EUR 3,366	EUR 4,301	EUR 6,716
Saxony	EUR 2,832	EUR 3,619	EUR 5,651
Saxony-Anhalt	EUR 2,795	EUR 3,571	EUR 5,578
Schleswig-Holstein	EUR 3,128	EUR 3,997	EUR 6,242
Thuringia	EUR 2,872	EUR 3,669	EUR 5,731
* 25% of salaries are below this value, ** 25% of salaries are above this value

Source: Gehaltsvergleich. com (as of February 2019)

© academics

High salaries in management positions and positions with supervisor responsibilities

Those with a high level of responsibility are remunerated accordingly. A PhD is often a prerequisite for management positions. But it pays off: Top earners among bioinformaticians in the private sector earn a gross monthly salary of more than EUR 7,000. However, these top salaries are the exception rather than the rule. The value for the third quartile in the table above provides a rough guide.

Salary factors – company size and sector

The size of the company is also an important factor when determining salary levels in many cases: Small and medium-sized companies are usually unable to match the salaries paid by large companies to their employees. The average monthly gross salary of a bioinformatician in companies with…

• … up to 500 employees is EUR 4,337
• … 501 to 1,000 employees is EUR 4,692
• … of over 1,000 employees is EUR 5,160

Source: Gehaltsvergleich. com

Large companies in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors and in medical technology sector usually pay more than average. In biotechnology, however, salaries for bioinformaticians are often relatively low. It is possible for employees to achieve a salary jump by switching to a different sector.

Doctoral bioinformatics graduates: Clear salary structure during PhD studies in Germany

Due to the relatively recent history of their discipline, bioinformaticians often do genuinely pioneering work in science. At best, this brings fame and glory, but in terms of salary, doctoral bioinformatics graduates in academic research lag far behind their fellow students who gain a foothold in the private sector after graduation. 

Graduates who complete their PhD studies in the traditional way at a university or at a publicly funded research institution are paid according to the applicable collective agreement for the civil service. They are usually also classified at pay grade E 13, experience level 1. Depending on the employer, this gives the following monthly gross salary:

Salary of bioinformatics PhD students in Germany

	TVöD	TV-L (federal states)	TV-H (Hesse)
E 13, level 1	EUR 3,827.03	EUR 3,672.02	EUR 3,676.76

Source: TVöD Bund, TV-L, TV-H (as of February 2019)

© academics

This salary may be increased through research grants or scholarship programs.

Although doctoral candidate positions for bioinformatics in the private sector can be difficult to find, they usually offer better pay.

Salaries for bioinformaticians in research in Germany

In many cases, the comparatively low income while studying for a PhD is compensated for during the course of the PhD-holder’s career, as a PhD is required for many highly paid management positions. If bioinformaticians are awarded a professorship after graduation, they are paid according to the W-salary for professors. For a junior professorship, the starting salary (grade W1), depending on the employer, is around EUR 4,500 per month. Higher up the pay scale W3, employees can earn monthly salaries of more than EUR 7,000. Specific figures for employees in the individual states and at the federal level can be found in the article “What does a professor earn?”. 

Without a professorship, e.g. a postdoctoral position, salaries at universities and non-university research institutions tend to be lower. The federal collective agreement for the civil service (TVöD Bund) or the federal states (TV-L or TV-H for Hesse) has established the following classifications:

• Research associate: E 13 (basic pay level 1 approximately EUR 3,600 to 3,800) 
• Junior and research group leader: E 14 or E 15 (basic pay level 1 approximately EUR 3,900 to 4,600)

Authors

Tanja Viebrock

Source

academics.com – April 2019

How to prepare for a PhD

When preparing for a PhD, it is recommended to use the time effectively, to create the perfect preconditions for a application to a German graduate school.

What does a lecturer earn in Germany?

They run language courses, lecture in front of managing directors or teach computer skills: Lecturers specialise in a very wide range of fields. This is also reflected in their salaries.

Salaries in the natural sciences

Researchers and developers have the best prospects of a good salary if they choose a career in industry. An analysis of the current salary levels.

Aktion #ResearchersAtRisk

The #ResearchersAtRisk campaign addresses scientists and researchers in exile who are considered “at risk” due to their precarious living and working situation in their country of origin.

The Bioinformaticians Salary Report | Udacity

Back The Bioinformaticians Salary Report

As big data continues to dominate every industry, including the health and medical fields, bioinformatician careers will continue to surge. This unique intersection of data science, biology, and computer science is paving the way for incredible discoveries in pharmaceutical therapies, diagnostic tools, and personalized medicine, which is proving even more valuable today. 

Given the incredible pace of tech advancements, it’s no wonder that bioinformaticians salaries are growing and the jobs are quickly crawling up the list of hottest occupations that are relatively future-proof. But what’s the salary potential for someone in this field?

Bioinformatics Leads to a Lucrative Career

The bioinformaticians salary report takes into account nuances based on location, years of experience, and education. Like all life or bioscience careers, a Ph.D will afford you some of the highest salaries and allow you to engage in the most advanced research opportunities. 

According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for a bioinformatician hovers around $96,000. Bioinformatics scientists with an MS or Ph. D in San Francisco can expect to earn anywhere from $75,000 up to $166,000, with higher salaries typically afforded to Ph.Ds in computational biology or statistics, genetics, molecular biology, or a related discipline. 

Other sources, like Payscale, offer a more conservative bioinformaticians salary report. They identify the base pay range as $47,000-$102,000, with a median salary of $70,000. Comparatively, Payscale identifies the salary range for software engineers between $61,000-$126,000. 

O*NET OnLine, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, puts the average salary for bioinformatics scientists in California at $90,710. Their range extends from $55,000 to $147,000, which is more in line with Glassdoor’s salary assessment.

What Kind of Experience are Companies Looking For?

Some of the six-figure bioinformatician roles require extensive expertise in the manipulation, analysis, and interpretation of high-dimensional genetic and genomic data, and being able to apply such data to reveal fundamental biological insights.  

Proven competence in software programming languages such as R or Python and bioinformatics tools such as Blast and Clustawl are high on the checklist. Statistics, data mining, data visualization, and a strong understanding of molecular biology and genetics are also needed to land one of these in-demand roles.

Bioinformatics is Surging

One of the reasons for the high bioinformaticians’ salary report is that biologists are faced with insurmountable amounts of data that are being generated incredibly quickly. This is partly because we’re unable to draw significant conclusions from studies involving 100 or 1,000 subjects any longer. 

Today, we rely on analyzing data from 500,000 or millions of people, which is why people skilled at distilling information from biology, statistics, and data science are in high demand. 

This trend is predicted to grow over the next 5-7 years. O*NET OnLine projects that job growth for bioinformatics scientists nationwide to be 5-9%, reaching as high as 12% in California.

Udacity offers a range of courses that can help you gain the skills needed to break into the field of bioinformatics like data visualization. The School of Data Science, Programming and Development, and AI include courses that are aligned with the most important disciplines in bioinformatics. 

Check out our full catalog to see which Udacity Nanodgree program can propel you to the next step in your career. 

Start Learning

[et_bloom_locked optin_id=”optin_4″]

[/et_bloom_locked]

Profession: Bioinformatician – description, salary and where to learn

(Bioinformatiker/in)

• Type

  Profession after diploma

• Specialty

  Biology, Biomathematics, Biotechnology, Computer Science

• Salary

  4697-5575 € per month

Bioinformaticians process data from biological processes and structures using information technology. They are interdisciplinary at the intersection of life sciences (biology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals) and informatics.

Share:

Responsibilities Bioinformatics

Bioinformaticians develop software, for example, to read information obtained from the deciphering of the genome of plants, animals and humans, and to predict the possible functions of biological phenomena. They model biological and chemical processes, design databases, and develop programs to visualize microscopic structures or neural networks. Their interdisciplinary knowledge – between molecular biology and biotechnology, computer science and computational linguistics – is in demand wherever biological processes and structures are explored with the help of information technology and possible applications derived from the results. After receiving a master’s degree, they also get access to activities in the field of science and research.

Where Bioinformaticians work

Bioinformaticians find jobs

• in pharmaceutical or chemical companies
• from suppliers of software and databases for scientific applications
• from computer service providers
• in research and development

Bioinformatician salary

The salary level that Bioinformaticians receive in Germany is

• from €4697 to €5575 per month

(according to various statistical and employment offices in Germany)

Share:

• Tasks
• Statistics

Tasks and Responsibilities Bioinformatics in detail

What is the profession Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics process data of biological processes and structures using information technology. They are interdisciplinary at the intersection of life sciences (biology, chemistry, medicine) and informatics.

From deciphering genetic material to biotechnology

In addition to the analysis of biological data, such as information about a gene, an organism, or even an entire ecosystem, bioinformatics also includes biological information processing and prediction. This is done through database applications, data integration, analysis programs, image processing and visualization, modeling and simulation of biological and chemical processes. This also includes the use of so-called neural networks, which are information processing systems made up of many interconnected blocks.

Bioinformatics is used, for example, in sequencing the genome. Individual genome sequences initially exist only as small subsections. In order to match these sequences and make a complete plan, bioinformaticians develop appropriate programs. And to understand which building blocks of the genome are responsible for which characteristics, bioinformaticians develop programs against which they compare the genetic data of related organisms in databases around the world. They conclude that genes can work to recognize disease-causing sequences and find cures for these diseases.

In biotechnology, information technology methods are used to control synthesis or fermentation processes. Bioinformaticians also develop robotics systems to automate chemical and biological research and screening procedures. They visualize chemical and biological structures, such as the formation of proteins, that are not visible under a microscope. Based on the protein sequence, the three-dimensional structure, the behavior of the molecule in the reaction, and thus the likely mode of action of the drug can be modeled without laboratory experiments. In the field of bionics, bioinformatics use biological systems, such as the physical structure of animals or the cellular structure of plants, as a model for developing technical products.

Various areas of activity of bioinformaticians

Bioinformaticians may also be involved in the marketing and sale of specialized bioinformatics software solutions. They advise clients on the acquisition of hardware and software or inform about computer services and train users of bioinformatics software.

Those who have completed a master’s program are often in management positions or work in science and research. In universities, for example, bioinformatics is the study of information processing within and between cells. In addition, bioinformaticians conduct seminars and courses and take exams.

Statistics

Sign up for a consultation on admission to a university in Germany by profession

Bioinformatics

Examples of highly paid vacancies Bioinformatics in German companies

Current vacancies Bioinformatics: https://www.gehalt.de/einkommen/search? searchtext=Bioinformatik&location=

Similar professions:

Original name:
Pharmazeut/in

Type:
Profession after diploma

Salary:
4627-5493 € per month

Pharmacists mainly work in the search, development and production of medicines. In addition, drug approval and safety are their responsibilities. At the same time, pharmacists always ensure that analytical methods, manufacturing processes and production facilities meet the required quality standards.

More details

Original title:
Ingenieur/in – technische Informatik

Type:
Profession after diploma

Salary:
4604-5819 € per month

Computer engineers design and program technical applications and computer systems, such as microcomputers for consumer electronic devices or for the monitoring, control and management of industrial plants. They also create computer networks, ensure their smooth operation or create information systems.

More details

Original name:
Agrarwissenschaftler/in

Type:
Profession after diploma

Salary:
3874-6355 € per month

Agronomists manage agricultural producers or service companies, participate in the processing and marketing of agricultural products, selling products from the agricultural industry or advising agricultural companies. They take on planning and administrative tasks in specialized authorities, associations and agricultural institutions, or take an active part in agricultural trials.

Read more

Bioinformatician – a profession that will be in demand in the future – 25 professions of the future that the National Research University Higher School of Economics is preparing for – National Research University Higher School of Economics

analyzes experimental biomedical data, develops and applies computational methods to solve such problems, such as predicting the function of genes and proteins encoded in them, genetic diagnosis of diseases, designing drugs, building models of the origin of species, etc.

Due to the large-scale development of technologies in the field of sciences of living systems, modern biology annually accumulates huge amounts of data, the processing of which requires competent knowledge of computer methods and special algorithms. Because of this, the demand for highly qualified specialists in the field of computational biology and bioinformatics, who are able to apply the mathematical apparatus to solve biological problems, is increasing every year.