💡 Why it matters: Vaccines protect millions of people, and new ones are only possible when trained scientists research, test and develop them.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Africa wants to make more of its own vaccines, which means more local scientists who can research and develop them.
- United States: Jobs for medical scientists are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Mid-career
- ₦5M – ₦12M
- Senior
- ₦12M – ₦28M
≈ ₦417k – ₦1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest profile: Microbiologist. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Medical scientists. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Canadian category: Biologists. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Study how germs infect people
- Test new vaccine ideas in the lab
- Work with clinical trial teams
- Analyse how well vaccines protect
- Write up findings for other scientists
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Lab skills
- Analysis
- Patience
- Curiosity
- Teamwork
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Master's and PhD in immunology or virology
- Research assistant roles at national research institutes
- Entry is through WAEC or NECO (secondary school exam) results and JAMB (UTME, the national university entrance exam)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Laboratory scientist apprenticeships
- NHS Scientist Training Programme for clinical lab science (a paid training route after a degree)
🇺🇸 United States
- Lab technician jobs at universities, hospitals or vaccine companies
- Summer research internships
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op programs with paid work terms in labs
- Research assistant jobs at universities and research institutes
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Biology and Chemistry in school
- 2Take a degree in Microbiology or Biochemistry
- 3Do a research Master's
- 4Join a research institute or vaccine company
- 5Complete a PhD and lead research projects
⏰ A day in the life
You grow harmless virus samples in the lab, test how well antibodies recognise them and record results with your team. In the afternoon you read about a new vaccine idea and discuss it with colleagues.