Jobs / Science and research / 19-1029.02
Molecular and Cellular Biologists
Research and study cellular molecules and organelles to understand cell function and organization.
- US jobs
- 55,850 (SOC 19-1029 group, "Biological Scientists, All Other")
- Median wage
- $98,920 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of molecular and cellular biologists?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for this occupation
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Maintain accurate laboratory records and data.
- Design molecular or cellular laboratory experiments, oversee their execution, and interpret results.
- Write grant applications to obtain funding.
- Perform laboratory procedures following protocols including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, cloning and extraction, ribonucleic acid (RNA) purification, or gel electrophoresis.
- Conduct research on cell organization and function, including mechanisms of gene expression, cellular bioinformatics, cell signaling, or cell differentiation.
- Prepare or review reports, manuscripts, or meeting presentations.
- Instruct undergraduate and graduate students within the areas of cellular or molecular biology.
- Direct, coordinate, organize, or prioritize biological laboratory activities.
- Compile and analyze molecular or cellular experimental data and adjust experimental designs as necessary.
- Evaluate new technologies to enhance or complement current research.
- Provide scientific direction for project teams regarding the evaluation or handling of devices, drugs, or cells for in vitro and in vivo disease models.
- Supervise technical personnel and postdoctoral research fellows.
Other job titles for this occupation (28)
Molecular Biologist · Research Scientist · Biologist · Biology Researcher · Cell Biologist · Cell Biology Scientist · Cellular Biologist · DNA Sequencing Associate · Electrophysiologist · Molecular Biology Researcher · Molecular Biology Scientist · Molecular Biology Specialist · Molecular Research Biologist · Molecular Research Scientist · Molecular Technologist · Neurophysiologist · Postdoctoral Research Associate (Postdoc Research Associate) · Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Postdoc Research Fellow) · Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc Researcher) · Postdoctoral Scholar (Postdoc Scholar) · Purification Scientist · Research Associate · Research Technician · Researcher · Scientist · Structural Biologist · Structural Biology Research Laboratory Specialist · Synthetic Biology Researcher