How to become a Chemist
Also called: Analytical chemist, Cosmetics formulation chemist, Detergents chemist, Dye chemist, Food chemist, Food toxicologist, Glass chemist, Industrial chemist, Inorganic chemist, Leather chemist, Metallurgical chemist, Organic chemist
Chemist conducts research, improves or develops concepts, theories and operational methods, or applies scientific knowledge relating to chemistry, to develop new knowledge or products and for quality and process control.
Main tasks
- Conducting research and improving or developing concepts, instruments, theories and operational methods related to chemistry
- Conducting experiments, tests and analyses to investigate chemical composition and energy and chemical changes in various natural or synthetic substances, materials and products
- Developing procedures for environmental control, quality control and various other procedures for manufacturers or users
- Conducting programmes of sample and data collection and analysis to identify and quantify environmental toxicants
- Participating in interdisciplinary research and development projects working with chemical engineers, biologists, microbiologists, agronomists, geologists or other professionals
- Using micro-organisms to convert substances into new compounds
- Determining ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials
- Reproducing and synthesising naturally occurring substances and creating new artificial substances
Ways in
- University: Science degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $76,284 a year. The middle half earn $54,000 to $137,160 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Chemist?
Ways in include: Science degrees.
How much does a Chemist earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $76,284 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $54,000 to $137,160.
Will AI change the work of a Chemist?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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