Scientific data and informatics

Science data jobs involve using data-driven methods to understand and solve scientific problems. You might be analysing, modelling or interpreting complex data to provide insights into scientific research or industry applications. Roles combine statistics and programming with discipline-specific knowledge (like biology, physics, or environmental science). You could apply this across a variety of fields, such as physics and astrophysics (processing telescope and satellite data to study space), the environment (modelling climate change, pollution or ecological patterns) or health data science/epidemiology (tracking disease patterns or clinical trial outcomes).

Informatics focuses more on the design, development and application of systems to manage and process this information. You would be involved in organising, retrieving and interpreting data using information systems, databases and computational frameworks. This could be applied in the broad fields of bioinformatics (biological data) and health informatics (clinical and medical records), but also in the more niche areas of geoinformatics (spatial and geographic data) or cheminformatics (chemical compound databases).

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Graduate roles in scientific data and informatics in the UK typically require a degree in a STEM subject such as data science, biology, physics, statistics, or computer science, with many employers preferring a Master's or PhD for research-focused positions. Candidates are expected to have strong programming skills (e.g. Python, R, SQL), and experience in data analysis, statistics skills, and domain-specific tools relevant to their field (such as GIS, Bioconductor, SPSS, STATA and MATLAB). A solid understanding of scientific methods, data workflows, and reproducible research is essential, along with soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Experience from research projects, internships, or working with large scientific datasets is highly valued.

Use the job profiles below to find out about, skills, entry routes and experience

Building skills and experience

Use the job profiles above to check which skills are normally needed for the roles you are interested in.

Use our transferable skills pages to explore ways to gain the top skills employers are looking for

  • Secure internships or part-time roles with tech companies focused on AI, Machine Learning (ML) and Data Science. This could also include biotech or health-related organisations as well as relevant internships at UoM. Use sites like Manchester Digital to find local tech companies.

  • Volunteer in research labs - offer help with data entry, analysis or literature reviews.

  • Choose data driven modules- tailoring your degree in this way would help you to build a portfolio and evidence to use in future applications.

  • Find opportunities to develop and demonstrate your data analysis, coding and machine learning skills. Look for competitions and challenges to join where you can build these skills and gain further exposure to a range of data sets. Sites like Kaggle offer opportunities to get involved in competitions and the Students Union have societies such as the Robotics Society or Hackchester – Cyber Security Society where you can work collaborative projects and participate in coding competitions.

  • Virtual opportunities- organisations such as Dig Data offers a range of data based virtual work experience with leading organisations including the NHS.

  • Collaborate with research centres at the University of Manchester, like The Institute for Data Science and AI.

  • Start networking to build contacts: Attend events, follow relevant groups and organisations on LinkedIn or join a professional body. Apply for the Career Mentoring programme, organised by the Careers Service, to be matched with an industry professional.

  • Seek out opportunities to increase your skills. Explore online learning providers for relevant courses, including LinkedIn Learning which Manchester students can access for free.

Finding and applying for jobs

Large employers include pharmaceutical and biotech companies, national labs and research institutes, universities, NGOs and tech companies. Science parks often have their own careers pages which could allow you to target both large multinational organisations and smaller start ups. The UK Science Parks Association website has a regional directory.

In addition to LinkedIn and other generic recruitment websites, you may want to search on more specialist job boards, such as Science Careers, Nature or Jobs.ac.uk, as well as specific organisations such as the NHS, Genomics England or even The University of Manchester!

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Further resources

Next steps

When planning your next steps, you may have additional questions or want to explore certain aspects in more detail: