Think of it - whatever we eat, wear, the technology we use - depends on chemistry! Chemists can play multiple roles – they can protect the environment and food supply, develop medicines that combat diseases, assist in developing technology to make our lives easier and do much more. A professional qualification in chemistry is the perfect way to open doors to exciting jobs in chemistry you haven’t yet imagined. We guide you through the popular jobs in the chemistry field, what you can expect, and what salaries you can earn as a graduate.
What are the popular jobs in Chemistry?
You may be surprised by the many career options available for chemistry graduates. About one-third of chemistry graduates pursue traditional lab work. You can find several possibilities in research laboratories, especially those owned by petroleum companies. By specializing in Biochemistry, you can widen your scope by availing conservation, environmental and medical opportunities. Other popular jobs in chemistry include working as a chemical engineer and chemist. However, there are many other career opportunities that you can explore, including:
- Research Chemist
- Analytical Chemist
- Forensic Specialist
- Chemical Engineer
- Quality Assurance Specialist
- Food Safety Officer
- Toxicologist
- Pharmacologist
- Chemistry Professor
- Formulation Chemist
- Food Scientist
- Lab Assistants
- Quality Controller
- Technical Support Professional
- Process Chemist
- Hazardous Waste Management Chemists
- Textile Chemists
- Science Policy Analysts
- Cheminformatics Data Scientists
- Crystallographers
- Industrial Managers
- Chemical Health & Safety Professionals
- Regulatory Affairs Pharmacists
What are the career opportunities in chemistry?
Many career options, ranging from industry to academia, are available for Chemistry graduates. Discover an option that fits your interests and abilities:
1.Research Chemist
Like the R&D team in any department, research and development work in chemistry involves applied research for developing materials that make our lives easier. For example, improving the flavours or increasing the shelf life of packed products.
2.Analytical Chemist
As you can see from the job title, an Analytical Chemist’s job is to analyse the chemical composition of different substances such as food, medicines, and other products. The job is to assess the quality of these substances to decide whether it is safe to use.
3.Forensic Expert
Forensic experts are involved in the collection, preservation, and examination of materials found at crime scenes. These forensic scientists also prepare legal documents to submit to a court of law. Would you like to become a forensic scientist?
4.Chemical engineer
A chemical engineer’s job is to solve problems related to creating new products such as fuel, drugs, and food from other raw materials. Some examples would be the production of plastic, cosmetics, and petrochemicals.
There is a constant demand to produce new goods or improve existing ones. Hence, chemical engineers are always in demand. The USA, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada are some destinations that offer opportunities for chemical engineers.
Would you like to join institutions in the USA to study chemistry?
5. Quality Assurance Specialist
Chemists working in a QA department are responsible for ensuring that the product manufacturing and maintenance processes are of company standard and error free. They find ways to reduce the chances of errors too.
6. Food Safety Officer
A Food Safety Officer is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure food quality at restaurants and at food processing plants meets safety standards. They ensure that the food we consume is hygienic and safe.
7. Toxicologist
Toxicologists study the effect of chemicals, drugs, and other elements on living organisms. They also determine the safe exposure limits. The job of a toxicologist will involve conducting laboratory or field experiments. Law enforcement agencies and private drug testing facilities hire toxicologists.
8. Pharmacologists
As a pharmacologist, you work with drugs and study their effect on the body and their interactions with other drugs. You support the development of new drugs which are more efficient and safer. Learn more about the scope of pharmaceutical sciences in the USA.
9. Professor
Another popular career in chemistry is to become a teacher or professor of chemistry. A bachelor’s degree in chemistry is required, along with a teaching certificate, for you to become a chemistry teacher. To qualify as a chemistry professor in two-year colleges, you should have a master’s degree. For 4-year colleges, a doctoral degree is expected.
10.Formulation Chemist
Formulation chemistry is the art of mixing non-reactive materials to produce a desired product. Some of the products that a formulation chemist helps develop include paints, varnishes, tablets, cosmetic products and several household products like dishwashing liquids and detergents.
11.Food Scientists
Food Scientists focus on developing and improving food and food products, develop new methods for food production and processing, and study the contamination of food, infections, and foodborne illnesses.
12. Lab Assistants
Lab preparation, equipment maintenance and inventory management are part of the responsibilities of a Lab Assistant. They are responsible for the efficient running of a research laboratory.
13.Quality Controller
A Quality Controller’s job involves evaluating finished products and ensuring they meet the company’s standards. With experience, you can move into management levels for this role.
14.Technical Support Professional
As a technical support professional, you provide technical support and servicing of laboratory equipment. You must have a thorough knowledge of the different equipment to efficiently perform this role.
15.Process Chemists
Process chemists focus on the large-scale production of chemical compounds. They must identify the hurdles in scaling up production to a commercial level and fix these issues. It will be a Process Chemists responsibility to ensure safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness too.
16.Hazardous Waste Management Chemists
They are part of the teams identifying the chemical pollutants in the air, water, and soil. They will also be responsible for developing ways to reduce the pollutants or reduce the harmful effects of hazardous waste. Professionals get hired by chemical companies, government agencies and academia. If you want your career in chemistry to directly benefit the environment, you might be interested in this specialisation.
17.Textile Chemists
A lot of research goes into creating the fabric of your dress. Your winter clothing should keep you warm, and your gym wear should be breathable. A textile chemist uses knowledge of chemistry to make these fabrics. Your job would be to make the textile more appealing to consumers.
18.Science Policy Analysts
In simple terms, a Science Policy Analyst should understand science and policy making. The role ensures effective communication, explaining science to policy makers and policy to scientists. The job involves a lot of meetings, talking, policy writing, and research.
19. Cheminformatics Data Scientists
Cheminformatics or Chemical informatics requires knowledge of chemical compounds. This field uses computer and information science techniques to store, index and retrieve details about chemical compounds.
20.Crystallographers
A crystallographer studies the molecular and atomic structure of crystals using different techniques like X-ray and microscopic imaging. This helps them understand the properties of these crystals and how they behave under temperature and pressure variations. The applications include understanding drug interaction with proteins, protein interactions with each other, and enzyme activity.
21.Industrial Managers
As a manager, you’re responsible for handling projects and overseeing production activities. Depending on the size of the company, your role will vary, and might include technical work as well as administrative work.
22.Chemical Health & Safety Professionals
The job aims to ensure a safe workplace for employees. Professionals advise companies on the best practices for ensuring there is no harm to property, individuals, or surroundings.
23. Regulatory Affairs Pharmacists
A Regulatory Affairs Pharmacist's job would be to regulate and oversee guidelines on clinical trials and research. You can find employment in the government sector, such as the Food and Drug Administration, Army Research Laboratory, and Air and Space administration.
What are the salaries for different jobs in chemistry?
The average salary for a Chemical Engineer is America is USD 96,096 or approximately 80 lakhs in INR! Some of the best paid jobs in Chemistry are those of a Chemical Engineer, Pharmacologist, or Chemistry Professor. Here are the salaries for some of the most popular jobs in chemistry.
Job |
Average salaries |
Chemical Engineer |
USA: $96,096 (INR 80 lakhs) UK: £36,656 (INR 37.6 lakhs) Canada: CAD 77,530 (INR 47 lakhs) Australia: AUD 80,755 (INR 43 lakhs) |
Research Chemist |
USA: $73,843 (INR 61.5 lakhs) UK: £30,933 (INR 31.7 lakhs) Canada: CAD 64,624 (INR 39 lakhs) Australia: AUD 98439 (INR 53 lakhs) |
Analytical Chemist |
USA: $65,704 (INR 54.5 lakhs) UK: £29,181 (INR 30 lakhs) Canada: CAD 53,958 (INR 33 lakhs) Australia: AUD 113,583 (INR 61 lakhs) |
Forensic Specialist |
USA: $52,430 (INR 43.7 lakhs) UK: £40,301 (INR 41.4 lakhs) Canada: CAD146,915 (INR 89 lakhs) Australia: AUD115,127 (INR 61.6 lakhs) |
Pharmacologist |
USA: $128,144 (INR 1 Cr) UK: £51,974 (INR 53.4 lakhs) Canada: CAD51,942 (INR 31.5 lakhs) Australia: AUD100,871 (INR 54 lakhs) |
Quality Control/Assurance Specialist |
USA: $59,114 (INR 49 lakhs) UK: £45,145 (INR 46.4 lakhs) Canada: CAD69,879 (INR 42 lakhs) Australia: AUD102,149 (INR 54.7 lakhs) |
Professor |
USA: $99,955 (INR 83 lakhs) UK: £74,633 (INR 76.6 lakhs) Canada: CAD107,570 (INR 65 lakhs) Australia: AUD188,903 (INR 1Cr) |
Source: Indeed.com
Chemistry graduates are highly sought after by international companies. A postgraduate degree in chemistry will only provide you with more career opportunities. In an uncertain world, this could be a greater benefit than having a job guaranteed at the end of one’s study!
We have more than 3,000 courses in chemistry offered by hundreds of universities abroad for you to explore. You can also speak to our study-abroad experts if you are interested in pursuing higher studies in chemistry.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in April 2017 by our content writer Diya Paul. We have included up-to-date information and made it comprehensive.