How to become a medical scientist
Official title: Medical scientist
Also called: Medical geneticist, Medical geneticist
Medical scientist conducts research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. He/she engages in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities to develop new treatment options, drugs and vaccines.
Main tasks
- Undertaking research in laboratories and in the field to increase scientific knowledge of living organisms
- Designing and conducting experiments and tests to discover new information 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
- 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 specialised 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
- Writing scientific papers and reports detailing research and new findings which are then made available to the scientific community in scientific journals or at conferences for scrutiny and further debate
- Assisting researchers in their conduct and implementation of clinical research projects
Ways in
- University: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 2 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $69,996 a year. The middle half earn $64,800 to $78,000 a year.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Pharmacologist
- Medical laboratory scientist
- Biochemist
- Physiologist
- Animal scientist
- Clinical research professional
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Questions people ask
How do I become a medical scientist?
Ways in include: Medicine & Dentistry degrees.
How much does a medical scientist earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $69,996 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $64,800 to $78,000.
Will AI change the work of a medical scientist?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, 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