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Research scientist (maths): Salary and conditions

• Typical starting salaries range from £23,000 to £35,000, depending on background and specialist subjects (salary data collected May 09).
• Typical salaries with three to five years' experience range from £29,000 to £38,000 (salary data collected May 09).
• Typical salaries at senior levels range from £30,000 to £70,000, although this will vary greatly, depending on the sector. For example, in academic settings it depends on whether the researcher is working as a leader of their own research group, is part of another research team, or has secured a lectureship while continuing with research. Professorial pay ranges from £50,000 to £65,000. In industry, the higher end of the scale (£65,000 - £70,000) will apply to team leader roles (salary data collected May 09).
• Many academic institutions have now implemented a single pay spine for all grades of staff, however some variation does occur.
• Salaries are generally good compared to other scientists. On average, larger companies pay better than smaller, specialist employers, although these smaller employers may offer earlier responsibility and opportunities to remain in preferred technical areas.
• Working hours typically include regular extra hours, but weekend or shift work is rarely, if ever, needed. The exceptions to this are academics who may face weekend working and irregular hours with additional responsibilities for postgraduate students.
• Self-employment and freelance work is possible once a technical specialism has been developed.
• Jobs are fairly widely available, but posts related to specialist research will be restricted to few institutions in certain areas. Universities, government and other research centres are located across the country.
• The work often requires working to strict deadlines and can be very demanding. There are no guarantees of instant success.
• Travel within a working day is occasionally needed. Researchers often collaborate with other departments within their institution, or with other institutions or companies, and this may involve occasional local travel. In academic roles, some national and international travel is required for attendance at conferences and symposiums to present the results of research - often with a stay of a few days.

AGCAS

Written by Annette Millar, University of Plymouth

Last updated:

May 2009

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