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How much do physicists make?

  • Helena Kudiabor
  • Oct 26 2023

A career as a physicist is an exciting one, you’ll be making new discoveries and sharing them with the world. But, how much can you expect to earn as a physicist? This article will discuss the average salary for physicists based in the UK, and provide you with some advice on how to boost your salary.

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What is a physicist?

A physicist is someone who studies the universe: planets, stars, galaxies, dark matter and everything in between. Physicists observe the natural phenomena that occur, and conduct experiments to understand how and why these phenomena take place. Their findings can be applied to give us a better understanding of other natural phenomena, and even helps contribute to new discoveries and inventions. Given the wide range of physic theory out there, most physicists choose to specialise in a specific area of physics, such as astrophysics , biophysics or particle physics . 

Just like any job, the exact amount that a physicist makes depends on a number of variables. This includes: what sort of place they work at, where they live, their education level and their level of experience.

According to figures from the UK government, entry-level physicists make an average of £15,609. With more experience, mid to senior level physicists earn around £50,000.

How can a physicist improve their salary?

Working in a more profitable field

If you’re not yet sure what area of physics you’d like to specialise in, it’s worth seeing which sector has the highest salary. For instance, entry-level medical physicists earn around £31,365, with senior level workers earning approximately £51,668. The route to becoming a medical physicist is also less expensive, as you’ll complete a work-based learning programme (like the NHS Scientist Training Programme ) which includes a fully funded master’s.

Similarly, higher profile companies, research bodies and other institutions tend to pay their employees more.

A side hustle

As a physicist, you’ll spend the vast majority of your time conducting independent research. However, your experience makes you an attractive candidate for other sources of income. For example, you could deliver lectures at a university (although you’ll need a PhD), help with textbook writing (or publish a book about your research) or privately tutor physics students. Once you’ve built up some experience, you could even teach in further education on an ad-hoc basis. You don’t even need teaching experience!

Postgraduate education

Not only will postgraduate education provide you with research skills and networking opportunities, it will allow you to access many senior level jobs. Research shows that those with a PhD or a master’s are more likely to earn a higher salary than those with an undergraduate degree. 

Although a postgraduate degree is likely to improve your earning potential, it’s not guaranteed. They can also be quite taxing, and very expensive. Thus, it’s worth taking some time to think carefully about whether postgraduate education is right for you. It’s also worth looking into different funding options as early as you can, such as fully funded PhDs and apprenticeships like the Level 7 research scientist apprenticeship .

Average Theoretical Physicist Salary in United Kingdom

The average salary for a Theoretical Physicist is £35,000 in 2024

Featured Content

What is the pay by experience level for theoretical physicists .

An early career Theoretical Physicist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of £30,968 based on 7 salaries. A mid-career Theoretical Physicist with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £30,968 based on 8 salaries. An experienced …Read more

What Do Theoretical Physicists Do?

Using advanced calculus-based formulas, a theoretical physicist will attempt to explain natural phenomenon. Theoretical physicists may end up working in companies, at schools, or for individuals. They will have at least a bachelor’s degree in physics.

When working at a school, they will often be tasked with finding their own funding via various organizations that are devoted to proving or disproving theories. They will also publish information that they have proven in various scientific …Read more

Common Health Benefits for a Theoretical Physicist

Gender breakdown for theoretical physicists.

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FAQs About Theoretical Physicists

What is the highest pay for theoretical physicists.

Our data indicates that the highest pay for a Theoretical Physicist is £79k / year

What is the lowest pay for Theoretical Physicists?

Our data indicates that the lowest pay for a Theoretical Physicist is £25k / year

How can Theoretical Physicists increase their salary?

Increasing your pay as a Theoretical Physicist is possible in different ways. Change of employer: Consider a career move to a new employer that is willing to pay higher for your skills. Level of Education: Gaining advanced degrees may allow this role to increase their income potential and qualify for promotions. Managing Experience: If you are a Theoretical Physicist that oversees more junior Theoretical Physicists, this experience can increase the likelihood to earn more.

  • Average Salary

Average Physicist Salary

The average Physicist salary in UK is £45,912.31 The hourly average pay for a Physicist salary in UK is £22.07 The starting salary for a junior Physicist in UK is £29,000.00 per year or £13.94 per hour

View Related Salaries:

Physicist conduct scientific research into the structures, forces and phenomena that shape the natural world.

Min: £29,000.00 Max: £62,434.00

Average Physicist Salary in UK : £45,912.31

The salary is calculated by jobs advertised online.

Read about Physicist salaries, related jobs and salary information across the UK

Physicist Salary data from the ONS

Recommended physicist jobs in uk.

Average Salary for Physicist compared to similar jobs

Related jobs.

View salaries for similar jobs.

Job Title UK Average
£26,475.98
£28,512.96
£34,620.31
£38,181.82
£38,392.93
£38,461.00
£42,050.29

Salary by Region

Compare Physicist salaries across different regions

Region Salary
£40,596.87
£34,374.50
£35,472.18
£43,189.64
£51,054.94
£56,254.90
£50,847.25
£32,585.32
£39,841.49
£42,475.58
£31,719.00
£40,545.21

Annual Job Ads by Region

Physicist salaries by city.

Compare Physicist salaries for different cities

Location Salary
£37,701.80
£37,060.00
£40,681.00
£37,145.00
£38,405.60
£38,665.60
£56,254.90
£39,079.50
£38,572.50
£38,015.20

Understanding the Average Physicist Salary in the UK

As a physicist in the UK, it is important to have a clear understanding of the average salary in this field. According to average Science salaries , the average salary for a physicist in the UK is £45,900 per year. This figure can vary depending on factors such as experience, qualifications, and location.

Salary Expectations for Newly Qualified Physicist

If you are a newly qualified physicist in the UK, you may be wondering what salary you can expect. To get a better idea, it is recommended to explore the current job market by conducting a job search specifically for physicist positions. This will give you an insight into the salary range for entry-level roles in your area.

Salaries for Experienced Physicist

For experienced physicists in the UK, the salary range tends to be higher than that of newly qualified professionals. The exact salary will depend on factors such as years of experience, expertise, and the specific industry you work in. It is advisable to research industry-specific salary data and consult with professionals in your field to get a better understanding of the earning potential for experienced physicists.

Creating a Physicist CV

When applying for physicist positions in the UK, having a well-crafted CV is essential. To ensure your CV stands out from the competition, you can use a CV template specifically designed for physicists. This template will help you highlight your skills, qualifications, and experience in a way that is tailored to the requirements of the industry.

Career Development Opportunities for Physicist

As a physicist in the UK, there are various career development opportunities available to help you progress in your field. Whether it's pursuing advanced degrees, attending conferences and workshops, or gaining additional certifications, investing in your professional growth can lead to higher earning potential. For valuable career advice and guidance on how to advance your career as a physicist, it is recommended to seek out resources specific to your industry.

Comprehensive Compensation for Physicist

Aside from the base salary, physicists in the UK may also receive additional compensation in the form of benefits and bonuses. These can include health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and performance-based bonuses. It is important to consider the comprehensive compensation package when evaluating job offers and negotiating your salary.

Strategies for Increasing Your Salary as a Physicist

If you are looking to increase your salary as a physicist in the UK, there are several strategies you can employ. These include gaining additional qualifications or certifications, taking on leadership roles, and demonstrating exceptional performance in your current position. Additionally, staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in your field and actively seeking out opportunities for professional development can also contribute to salary growth.

Professional Development and Earnings

Investing in your professional development as a physicist can have a direct impact on your earnings. By continuously expanding your knowledge, skills, and expertise, you can position yourself for higher-paying roles and increased responsibilities. Whether it's through attending conferences, participating in research projects, or collaborating with industry experts, actively seeking out opportunities for professional growth can lead to a more lucrative career as a physicist in the UK.

Capitalising on Extra Hours and Duties

As a physicist, there may be opportunities to earn additional income by taking on extra hours or duties. This can include consulting work, teaching or mentoring opportunities, or participating in research projects outside of your regular job responsibilities. By capitalising on these opportunities, you can not only increase your earnings but also gain valuable experience and expand your professional network.

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Key job facts.

Metric Stat
Yearly Advertised 1,207 Jobs
Salary Ranking 583 out of 3326
Top Degree Physics
Adverts per 100,000 South East (4.16)

How to Become a Physicist

The most requested degree for a Physicist are

Degree
Physics
Design
Construction
Engineering
Mathematics

Physicist Salaries by Experience

Compare Physicist salaries grouped by experience

Experience UK Average
Average £45,912.31
Junior £32,803.74
Intermediate £40,362.39
Senior £54,106.23

Physicist Salaries by Industry

Compare Physicist salaries grouped by industry, UK wide

Industry UK Average
Education £46,438.60
Manufacturing £42,852.90
Other £38,292.80
Professional Services £57,405.38
Recruitment £54,167.13
Science £35,401.00
Support Services £34,500.00
Unknown £44,823.06
Combined £45,912.31

Additional Salary Details

A few details you might find interesting

Job Title: Physicist
Location: UK
Industry: Combined
Experience: Average: 0 - 50 years
Sample Size: 439
25 Percentile: £38,405.00
75 Percentile: £55,000.00
Updated: August 2024
ID: 250682

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  • United Kingdom
  • London Greater Area

Experimental Physicist

£62,374 (gbp)/yr, £29.99 (gbp) /hr, £1,834 (gbp) /yr.

The average experimental physicist gross salary in London Greater Area, United Kingdom is £62,374 or an equivalent hourly rate of £30. This is 13% higher (+£7,339) than the average experimental physicist salary in United Kingdom. In addition, they earn an average bonus of £1,834. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in London Greater Area, United Kingdom. An entry level experimental physicist (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of £43,910. On the other end, a senior level experimental physicist (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of £77,351.

Data powered by ERI's Salary Expert Database .

This page is a promotion for SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform and is not intended for professional use.

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ERI’s compensation data are based on salary surveys conducted and researched by ERI. Cost of labor data in the Assessor Series are based on actual housing sales data from commercially available sources, plus rental rates, gasoline prices, consumables, medical care premium costs, property taxes, effective income tax rates, etc.

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£72,412 (GBP)

Based on our compensation data, the estimated salary potential for Experimental Physicist will increase 16 % over 5 years.

This chart displays the highest level of education for: Experimental Physicist , the majority at 57% with doctorates.

London Greater Area, United Kingdom

The cost of living in London Greater Area, United Kingdom is 43% more than the average cost of living in United Kingdom. Cost of living is calculated based on accumulating the cost of food, transportation, health services, rent, utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous.

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Physicist average salary in United Kingdom, 2024

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  • Particle and nuclear

Tsung-Dao Lee: Nobel laureate famed for work on parity violation dies aged 97

The Chinese-American particle physicist Tsung-Dao Lee died on 4 August at the age of 97. Lee shared half of the 1957 Nobel Prize for Physics with Chen Ning Yang for their theoretical work that overturned the notion that parity is conserved in the weak force – one of the four fundamental forces of nature. Known as “parity violation”, it was was proved experimentally by, among others, Chien-Shiung Wu .

Born on on 24 November 1926 in Shanghai, Lee began studying physics in 1943 at the National Chekiang University (now known as Zhejiang University) and, later, at National Southwest Associated University in Kunming. In 1946 Lee moved to the US to the Univeristy of Chicago on a Chinese government fellowship, doing a PhD under the guidance of Enrico Fermi, which he completed in 1950.

After his PhD, Lee worked at Yerkes Astronomical Observatory in Wisconsin, the University of California at Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton before moving to Columbia University in 1953. Three years later, he became the youngest-ever full professor at Columbia, remaining at the university until retiring in 2012.

Looking in the mirror

It was at Columbia where Lee did his Nobel-prize-winning work on parity, which is a property of elementary particles that expresses their behaviour upon reflection in a mirror. If the parity of a particle does not change during reflection, parity is said to be conserved. But since the early 1950s, physicists had been puzzled by the decays of two subatomic particles, known as tau and theta.

These particles, also known as K-mesons, are identical except that the tau decays into three pions with a net parity of -1, while a theta particle decays into two pions with a net parity of +1. This puzzling observation meant that either the tau and theta are different particles or – controversially – that parity in the weak interaction is not conserved, with Lee and Yang proposing various ways to test their ideas ( Phys. Rev. 104 254) .

Collage of eleven portrait photos

Credit where credit’s due?

Wu, who was also working at Columbia, then suggested an experiment based on the radioactive decay of unstable cobalt-60 nuclei into nickel-60. In what became known as the “Wu experiment”, she and colleagues from the National Bureau of Standards used a magnetic field to align the cobalt nuclei with their spins parallel, before counting the number of electrons emitted in both an upward and downward direction.

Wu and her team found that far more electrons were being emitted downwards then upwards, which for parity to be conserved would be the same for both the normal state and in the mirror image. Yet when the field was reversed, as it would be in the mirror image, they found that more electrons were detected upwards, proving that parity is violated in the weak interaction.

For their work, Lee and Ning Yang shared the 1957 Nobel Prize for Physics. Then just 30, Lee was the second youngest Nobel-prize winning scientist after Lawrence Bragg , who was 25 when he shared the 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics with his father, William Henry Bragg. It has been argued that Wu should have shared the prize too for her experimental evidence of parity violation, although the story is complicated because two other groups were also working on similar experiments at the same time.

Influential physicist

Lee went on to publish several books including Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory in 1981 and Science and Art in 2000. As well as the Nobel prize, he was also awarded the Albert Einstein Award in 1957 and the Matteucci Medal in 1995.

Chien-Shiung Wu

Overlooked for the Nobel: Chien-Shiung Wu

At a reception in 2011 to mark Lee’s retirement , William Zajc, chair of Columbia’s physics department, noted that it was “impossible to overstate [Lee’s] influence on the department of physics, on Columbia and on the entire field of physics.”

Lee, on the other hand, noted that retirement is “like gardening”. “You may not be cultivating a new species, but you can still keep the old beautiful thing going on,” he added.

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COMMENTS

  1. Experimental Physicist Salaries in United Kingdom

    The average salary for Experimental Physicist is £42,255 per year in the United Kingdom. The average additional cash compensation for a Experimental Physicist in the United Kingdom is £2,389, with a range from £1,480 - £3,856. Salaries estimates are based on 150 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Experimental Physicist employees in United Kingdom.

  2. Experimental Physicist average salary in United Kingdom, 2024

    Experimental Physicist make an average of £40,000 / year in United Kingdom, or £20.51 / hr. Try Talent.com's salary tool and search thousands of salaries in your industry.

  3. Average Physicist Salary in United Kingdom

    The average salary for a Physicist in United Kingdom is £36,933 in 2024. Visit PayScale to research physicist salaries by city, experience, skill, employer and more.

  4. Experimental Physicist Salary London, United Kingdom

    The average experimental physicist salary in London, United Kingdom is £67,782 or an equivalent hourly rate of £33. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in London, United Kingdom.

  5. experimental physicist jobs in England

    Full job description. We are seeking an Experimental Physicist in our Munich Germany, London UK, Oxford UK, or Cambridge UK locations. Our team is leading the development, integration, and operation of quantum computing systems at Quantinuum. We are looking for experimental scientists with hands-on experience building and operating devices to ...

  6. Experimental physicist salaries in United Kingdom

    Average salary for request experimental physicist in United Kingdom: £55,291 for year. Data taken from 10 real wages. Check the trends and pay scale information for the experimental physicist vacancies in United Kingdom.

  7. Salary: Experimental Scientist in United Kingdom 2023

    The average salary for Experimental Scientist is £40,139 per year in the United Kingdom. The average additional cash compensation for a Experimental Scientist in the United Kingdom is £2,452, with a range from £1,165 - £5,161. Salaries estimates are based on 6785 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Experimental Scientist employees in United Kingdom.

  8. Salary: Experimental Physicist (July, 2023)

    The average salary for an Experimental Physicist is $40,338 per year in United Kingdom. Click here to see the total pay, recent salaries shared and more!

  9. How much do physicists make?

    Find out the average salary for physicists in the UK, and get some valuable advice on how to boost your salary.

  10. Average Theoretical Physicist Salary in United Kingdom

    The average salary for a Theoretical Physicist in United Kingdom is £35,000 in 2024. Visit PayScale to research theoretical physicist salaries by city, experience, skill, employer and more.

  11. Salary: Physicist in United Kingdom 2024

    The estimated total pay for a Physicist is £39,734 per year in the United Kingdom area, with an average salary of £37,238 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is £2,497 per year.

  12. experimental physics jobs

    Apply to Experimental Physics jobs now hiring on Indeed.com, the worlds largest job site.

  13. 30 Experimental physicist jobs in United Kingdom

    Search Experimental physicist jobs. Get the right Experimental physicist job with company ratings & salaries. 30 open jobs for Experimental physicist.

  14. Experimental physicist salary

    Average salary for request experimental physicist: £55,291 for year. Data taken from 10 real wages. Check the trends and pay scale information for the experimental physicist vacancies in United Kingdom.

  15. Physicist Salary in UK

    The average Physicist salary in the UK is £45,246 annually, ranging from £31,600 to £62,434. Discover how much Physicist earn throughout the UK

  16. Experimental Physicist Salary London Greater Area ...

    The average experimental physicist salary in London Greater Area, United Kingdom is £60,969 or an equivalent hourly rate of £29. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in London Greater Area, United Kingdom.

  17. Physicist average salary in United Kingdom, 2024

    The average physicist salary in the United Kingdom is £44,397 per year or £22.77 per hour. Entry level positions start at £35,500 per year while most experienced workers make up to £55,016 per year.

  18. quantum physicist jobs

    Benefits. Competitive salary, equity options, unlimited holiday allowance, flexible and remote working options, 10% matching pension, generous parental support policy, private health/dental insurance, and relocation support. Report job. Apply to Quantum Physicist jobs now hiring on Indeed.com, the worlds largest job site.

  19. Salary: Physicist in United Kingdom 2024

    The average salary for Physicist is £39,881 per year in the United Kingdom. The average additional cash compensation for a Physicist in the United Kingdom is £2,441, with a range from £1,587 - £3,756. Salaries estimates are based on 116 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Physicist employees in United Kingdom.

  20. Salary: Experimental Physicist (Aug, 2024) United States

    The average EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICIST SALARY in the United States as of July 2024 is $57.74 an hour or $120,105 per year. Get paid what you're worth!

  21. Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Physics in Hamilton, NY for Colgate

    The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in experimental physics to begin in the fall semester of 2025.

  22. Tsung-Dao Lee: Nobel laureate famed for work on parity violation dies

    Particle pioneer: Tsung-Dao Lee paved the way to our understanding that parity is violated in the weak force (courtesy: CERN) The Chinese-American particle physicist Tsung-Dao Lee died on 4 August at the age of 97. Lee shared half of the 1957 Nobel Prize for Physics with Chen Ning Yang for their theoretical work that overturned the notion that parity is conserved in the weak force - one of ...