How to become a biologist, botanist, zoologist or related professional
Official title: Biologists, botanists, zoologists and related professionals
Also called: Animal behaviourist, Bacteriologist, Biochemist, Biologist, Biomedical researcher, Biotechnologist, Botanist, Cell geneticist, Marine biologist, Microbiologist, Molecular biologist, Molecular geneticist
Biologists, botanists, zoologists and related professionals study living organisms and their interactions with each other and with the environment, and apply this knowledge to solving human health and environmental problems. They work in diverse fields such as botany, zoology, ecology, marine biology, genetics, immunology, pharmacology, toxicology, physiology, bacteriology and virology.
Main tasks
- Undertaking research in laboratories and in the field to increase scientific knowledge of living organisms, to discover new information, to test hypotheses, to solve problems in areas such as the environment, agriculture and health, and to develop new products, processes and techniques for pharmaceutical, agricultural and environmental use
- Designing and conducting experiments and tests
- Gathering human, animal, insect and plant specimens and data, and studying their origin, development, chemical and physical form, structure, composition, and life and reproductive processes
- Examining living organisms using a variety of specialized equipment, instruments, technologies and techniques such as electron microscopes, telemetry, global positioning systems, biotechnology, satellite imaging, genetic engineering, digital imaging analysis, polymerase chain reaction and computer modelling
- Identifying, classifying, recording and monitoring living organisms and maintaining databases
- Writing scientific papers and reports detailing research and any new findings which are then made available to the scientific community in scientific journals or at conferences for scrutiny and further debate
- Designing and carrying out environmental impact assessments to identify changes caused by natural or human factors
- Providing advice to governments, organizations and businesses in areas such as conservation, management of natural resources, and the effects of climate change and pollution
Ways in
- University: Science degrees, Offered by 21 universities in Hong Kong
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a biologist, botanist, zoologist or related professional?
Ways in include: Science degrees.
Do you need a degree to become a biologist, botanist, zoologist or related professional?
Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a biologist, botanist, zoologist or related professional?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026