What Type of Biologist Should I Be

One press picks a kind of biologist to look into, with the living things that biologist studies.

What Type of Biologist Should I Be

Show all 76
  1. Genomics scientistStudies genomes: an organism’s complete set of DNA, with all of its genes.

Next step Compare a kind of chemistNot sure about biology? Draw a job

How it works

Love living things but not sure which ones to spend a career on? Press the button for a kind of biologist, from the ant specialist to the whale specialist.

Read the full guide

Outdoors or in a laboratory

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says zoologists and wildlife biologists work in offices and laboratories and may spend time outdoors, studying animals in their natural habitats. Microbiologists work primarily in laboratories and offices, and most biochemists and biophysicists work in laboratories.

Named in Greek for what they study

Many titles come from Ancient Greek. An ornithologist is named for órnis, bird; a dendrologist for dendron, tree; a cetologist for kētos, whale; a myrmecologist for myrmex, ant; and a limnologist for límnē, lake.

Questions and answers

What are the different types of biologists?

Some are named for the living things they study, such as botanists (plants), entomologists (insects) and virologists (viruses). Others are named for a scale or a question: cell biologists, geneticists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists.

How do I know what type of biologist I should be?

Ask where you want to spend your days. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says fieldwork can be physically demanding, in all types of weather, and may mean travel to remote locations for long periods. If that appeals, start with the animal and ecosystem groups.

What degree does a biologist need?

For zoologists and wildlife biologists, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says a bachelor’s degree is typical for entry-level positions, a master’s degree may be needed for higher level jobs, and a Ph.D. is typically needed to lead research projects.

What is a biologist who studies the ocean called?

A marine biologist studies life in the sea. Narrower titles name what is studied: an ichthyologist studies fish, a teuthologist studies octopuses and other cephalopods, and a planktologist studies plankton.

More tools

Browse People and Jobs

All 76 kinds of biologist

Sea and fresh water 11

  • Biological oceanographer Studies how organisms affect and are affected by the ocean’s physics and chemistry.
  • Carcinologist Studies crustaceans.
  • Cetologist Studies whales and dolphins; a whale population study can mean months at sea.
  • Fisheries scientist Works on understanding and managing fisheries.
  • Freshwater biologist Studies freshwater ecosystems and the organisms that live in them.
  • Ichthyologist Studies wild fish, such as sharks and lungfish.
  • Limnologist Studies inland waters, such as lakes, ponds and rivers, as ecosystems.
  • Marine biologist Studies fish and other wildlife that inhabit the oceans.
  • Phycologist Studies algae.
  • Planktologist Studies plankton, the small drifting organisms of bodies of water.
  • Teuthologist Studies cephalopods, such as octopuses and cuttlefish.

Animals 16

  • Arachnologist Studies arachnids: spiders and their relatives, such as scorpions.
  • Behavioral ecologist Studies the evolutionary basis for animal behavior under ecological pressures.
  • Coleopterist Studies beetles.
  • Entomologist Studies insects, such as beetles and butterflies.
  • Ethologist Studies animal behaviors as natural or adaptive traits.
  • Herpetologist Studies reptiles and amphibians; snake research can mean long spells in deserts or forests.
  • Lepidopterist Studies moths and butterflies.
  • Malacologist Studies mollusks, such as snails and clams.
  • Mammalogist Studies mammals, such as monkeys and bears.
  • Melittologist Studies bees.
  • Myrmecologist Studies ants.
  • Nematologist Studies nematodes, or roundworms.
  • Ornithologist Studies birds, such as hawks and penguins.
  • Primatologist Studies primates.
  • Wildlife biologist Studies specific ecosystems or animal populations, with time outdoors gathering data.
  • Zoologist Studies animals, typically researching certain types of animals, such as birds.

Plants and fungi 12

  • Agronomist Works on the science of crop production and soil management.
  • Botanist Studies plants: their growth, reproduction and evolution.
  • Bryologist Studies mosses, liverworts and hornworts.
  • Dendrologist Studies woody plants: trees, shrubs and lianas.
  • Ethnobotanist Studies the relationships between humans and plants.
  • Horticulturist Practices the science and art of growing ornamental plants, fruits and vegetables.
  • Lichenologist Studies lichens, each a partnership between an alga and a fungus.
  • Mycologist Studies the properties of fungi such as yeast and mold.
  • Paleobotanist Recovers and identifies plant fossils.
  • Plant pathologist Studies plant diseases caused by pathogens and by environmental conditions.
  • Plant physiologist Studies how plants function, including processes such as photosynthesis.
  • Pomologist Studies fruits and their cultivation.

Microbes 9

  • Bacteriologist Studies the growth, development and other properties of bacteria.
  • Clinical microbiologist Tests specimens collected from plants, humans and animals to aid in detecting disease.
  • Environmental microbiologist Studies how microorganisms interact with ecosystems and each other.
  • Industrial microbiologist Studies how microorganisms can be used in manufacturing production processes.
  • Microbiologist Studies microorganisms such as bacteria, algae and fungi, primarily in laboratories.
  • Parasitologist Studies parasites: their life cycle and their relationship with a host.
  • Protistologist Studies protists, the eukaryotes that are not animals, plants or fungi.
  • Public health microbiologist Examines microorganisms to track, control and prevent communicable diseases.
  • Virologist Studies the structure, development and other properties of viruses.

Cells, genes and how bodies work 19

  • Anatomist Studies the structure of organisms and their parts.
  • Biochemist Studies the chemical principles of living things, typically in laboratories and offices.
  • Bioinformatician Develops computational methods and software for understanding biological data.
  • Biophysicist Applies physics to living things; may research how nerve cells communicate.
  • Cell biologist Studies the structure, function and behavior of cells.
  • Chronobiologist Studies timing in living things, such as rhythms tied to the sun and the moon.
  • Cryobiologist Studies the effects of low temperatures on living things.
  • Developmental biologist Studies the processes by which animals and plants grow and develop.
  • Embryologist Studies the development of embryos and fetuses.
  • Geneticist Studies genes, genetic variation and heredity in organisms.
  • Genomics scientist Studies genomes: an organism’s complete set of DNA, with all of its genes.
  • Histologist Studies cells and tissues in plants and animals under the microscope.
  • Immunologist Studies immune systems in all organisms.
  • Molecular biologist Studies the molecules behind activity in cells, chiefly DNA, RNA and proteins.
  • Neuroscientist Studies the nervous system: the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves beyond them.
  • Physiologist Studies the normal function of living systems.
  • Structural biologist Analyzes the structure of biological material at every level of organization.
  • Synthetic biologist Applies the principles of engineering to develop new biological parts and systems.
  • Systems biologist Models complex biological systems with computation and mathematics.

Ecosystems, evolution and fossils 9

  • Astrobiologist Asks about the origin, distribution and evolution of life in the universe.
  • Biogeographer Studies how species and ecosystems are spread across space and through geological time.
  • Conservation biologist Works to protect species, their habitats and ecosystems from extinction.
  • Ecologist Studies the interactions between organisms and their environments.
  • Evolutionary biologist Studies the mechanisms of evolution, such as natural selection and mutation.
  • Paleontologist Studies the life of the past, mainly through fossils.
  • Restoration ecologist Assists the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged or destroyed.
  • Soil biologist Studies the activity and ecology of the microbes and animals that live in soil.
  • Taxonomist Names, defines and classifies groups of organisms by their shared characteristics.