Plan the study's next stage
If two experiments need the same instrument, pick which runs first and revise the timeline.
Career profile
Scientific Research Manager
Scientific research managers oversee the people, lab tests and money behind a scientific study.
Results sometimes raise new questions. When they do, you help pick the group's next tests and fit them to the schedule and budget.
A day in the life
Study a plot with a scientist
When repeated runs disagree, check the method before deciding what extra proof the group needs.
Help a researcher who's stuck
Discuss the tricky technical problem, arrange their training, follow their progress, and separately rate how employees perform.
Keep spending within the budget
Weigh gear and staff costs against available funds, and at universities you may draft the next grant proposal.
Quick facts
Science degree + research experience
United States
$167,220 median yearly
United States · May 2025
8% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Science degree + research experienceUsually you work as a scientist before managing research. Some employers require a graduate degree.
Pay
$167,220 median yearlyAbout $80.39 an hour. These May 2025 figures cover the broader natural sciences managers occupation, which includes scientific research managers.
Outlook
8% projected growthFor the broader natural sciences managers occupation, 2025–2035 projections include about 9,200 openings a year, including replacements for workers who leave.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like asking what evidence would settle a scientific disagreement.
- Helping someone else improve their work feels rewarding.
- You can choose priorities when several projects need attention.
Things to weigh
- Managing people can leave less time for your own experiments. Some jobs also require evenings or weekends.
- In some academic roles, continued employment depends on research funding and whether the program still needs your expertise.
Where AI may help
Statistical software helps analyze results; project software helps track schedules and spending.
What people still lead
You judge whether methods are sound and whether a new tool is worth adopting.
What we can’t predict yet
How much analysis software can take over will depend on the research question and how reliably its output can be checked.
Pay in context
Earnings
These national figures cover the broader natural sciences managers occupation, including scientific research managers. Your pay can vary with industry, location, experience, and responsibility.
National median
The May 2025 median was $167,220 a year, equivalent to $80.39 an hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less; this is not a starting salary.
The pay spread
The lowest-paid 10 percent earned below $79,710 a year, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned above $316,850. These describe differences across workers, not steps in a career.
Pay by workplace type
Annual medians were $209,060 in physical, engineering, and life sciences research and development; $185,110 in manufacturing; and $141,300 in the federal government, excluding postal service.
Getting started
Build leadership after a bachelor's degree
- What the route involves
- Study a science, work on research projects, and gradually lead parts of the work.
- What it can lead to
- Some university manager roles accept this route: the University of New Mexico requires a bachelor's degree and three years of directly related experience.
- What to check
- Those are that employer's minimums. It also allows completed degrees above the minimum to replace experience year for year.
Develop a specialty through doctoral research
- What the route involves
- Earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), then develop research methods and experience leading projects.
- What it can lead to
- This can meet the preparation for academic research manager ranks. Princeton requires at least three years of relevant experience after the doctorate and demonstrated research accomplishments.
- What to check
- At Princeton, these managers work under faculty or unit leadership. The degree alone does not qualify you for appointment.
Build scientific experience first, then take responsibility for projects and people. Degree requirements differ by employer.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the team's methods, budget, and commitments. Set clear expectations for progress and research quality.
Handle more moving parts
Coordinate several projects and collaborators. Learn to assess equipment purchases and introduce methods the team can use reliably.
Move into senior research leadership
A senior academic research manager role can recognize sustained team leadership and contributions to methods, analysis, and scientific communication. Promotion requires a review of your work.
Where you can work
University research programs
You connect researchers across departments while handling grants and shared equipment. Depending on the science, projects may combine laboratory work with field research.
- Office
- Lab
- Field work
Pharmaceutical development laboratories
Your team's tests help move potential medicines through development. You work with process chemists, quality staff, and regulatory colleagues, so methods must satisfy both scientific and product requirements.
- Lab
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Take a familiar school experiment and plan it for three researchers sharing one instrument. Sketch a schedule, choose which result needs checking first, then remove a day from the plan. Notice whether you enjoy explaining the priorities as much as the science.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Natural Sciences Managers. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- O*NET OnLine. 11-9121.00 — Natural Sciences Managers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- University of New Mexico. Sci Research Manager — Position Classification L7010. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Princeton University. Chapter III: Academic Research Managers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- AbbVie. Principal Research Scientist I (Manager), Analytical R&D — R00125823. Accessed 2026-10-03.