What does a Physicist do?
A physicist works to explain how forces, structures and phenomena affect the natural world. This position requires extensive amounts of research to produce reports and technical papers that contribute to the industry at large as well as lecturing and teaching students about the laws of physics. The typical career progression of a physicist is into the position of a Chief Medical Physicist within the organization.
A bachelor's degree in physics is the minimum educational requirement to be a physicist with a master's degree or doctorate degree required to teach at a collegiate level. As part of the job, extensive research is required and therefore a good candidate for the position will possess excellent research and reporting skills with an expectation for exceptional verbal and written communications. Other skills include possessing great analytical and problem-solving skills that will assist in the writing of research papers and reports.
- Conduct research on forces, structures and phenomena that affect the natural world
- Focus research efforts in an appointed specialized field within the realms of physics
- Plan and take control over the path of research and experiments to collate and gather relevant data
- Create a hypothesis for each research based on methodology and expectations
- Evaluate experiment results and perform quality control tests
- Report findings into reports and presentations
- Contribute to and assist with technical research papers
- Lecture and teach students about the laws of physics according to curriculum
- Master's degree or doctorate in physics preferred
- Strong understanding of the laws of physics
- Strong aptitude for mathematics, calculus and trigonometry
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Exceptional presentation and reporting skills
- Enthusiastic and passionate about physics
- Great analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent research and data gathering skills
- Able to sit in front of a computer to perform research for long hours at a time
How much does a Physicist make?
Base Pay
Additional Pay
$131,532
/ yrPhysicist Career Path
Learn how to become a Physicist, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Physicist Insights
ColdQuanta“Management is at least highly receptive to this kind of feedback and I do expect this to change in the future.”
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory“There are smart people here working on very enjoyable and challenging technical problems.”
Cambridge Consultants“great people to work with and interesting projects”
University of Texas at Austin“Work and life balance good”
Science and Technology Facilities Council“Slow pace of career progress”
GenesisCare“Great Team to work with”
Air Force Research Laboratory“Your salary increases will be nominal.”
US Air Force“Political issues are getting in the way of our effectiveness.”
Frequently asked questions about the roles and responsibilities of a Physicist
- Quality Control Chemist
- Research And Development Chemist
- Research Scientist
- Chemist