Microbiologists

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence-activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers.71
• Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection.65
• Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.63

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Develop new products and procedures for sterilization, food and pharmaceutical supply preservation, or microbial contamination detection.59
• Observe action of microorganisms upon living tissues of plants, higher animals, and other microorganisms, and on dead organic matter.57
• Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment.56

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

The current data release does not distinguish durable tasks for this role.

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 57 puts Microbiologists in the third quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this high is about the mix: 6 of 14 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 8 augmentable, and 0 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: audit how much of your week sits in the exposed tasks above — then shift time toward the durable set or investigate the adjacent roles below.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

Shown only when the target is at least 10 points lower under the same score version and skill overlap is at least 50%. These are adjacent roles with lower task exposure — not guaranteed “safe careers”.

Labor-market context

• $87,990median wage
• 18,940employed
• 1,700annual openings
• +4.3%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Biochemists and Biophysicists 55
• Biological Technicians 57
• Geneticists 48
• Histotechnologists 66
• Molecular and Cellular Biologists 53
• Chemists 59

FAQ — Microbiologists

What does a score of 57 mean for a Microbiologists?

It means that, weighted across the 14 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 57 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the third quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence-activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers; Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection; Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition. Exposure is scored per task from structured data, not generated by a language model.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The current data release does not distinguish durable tasks for this role.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.