Mycologist

Mycologist navigates daily challenges and these 21 real tasks spotlight the problems you’ll solve most often. You’ll learn the usual signals of trouble and which people benefit from your work. Each one shows where we found it, and comes with an AI prompt you can copy and use straight away.

21evidenced tasks
21ready prompts
1tools of the trade
19-1029.00O*NET-SOC code
55,850hold this job (US, BLS 2025)
$98,920median pay/yr (US)
Open Mycologist in the interactive atlas →

What it pays

Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.

Half of all Biological Scientists, All Other in the U.S. earn more than $98,920 a year — the middle 80% land between $60,430 and $168,010. About 55,850 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Biological Scientists, All Other”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$98,920typical pay / year
55,850people in this work
$168,010+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
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The work, task by task

These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.

Analysing4

Collect DNA samples

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Collect fungal tissue for DNA by identifying target fruiting bodies, aseptically excising inner tissue into…
Collect fungal tissue for DNA by identifying target fruiting bodies, aseptically excising inner tissue into labelled vials with preservative, record collection metadata and GPS, chain-of-custody the samples, and freeze or ship them to the lab within 24 hours.
The tools that do the workESCOjob descriptions

Gather and analyse biological data

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Compile the biological dataset: import sequence reads and sample metadata into the laboratory database, run…
Compile the biological dataset: import sequence reads and sample metadata into the laboratory database, run quality filtering, annotate specimens with taxonomy and location, generate summary tables of diversity metrics, and produce a methods-ready report for the PI by Monday.
The tools that do the workESCOjob descriptions

Develop and test hypotheses

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Design two clear alternative hypotheses for the fungal population shift at the oak grove, list the measurable…
Design two clear alternative hypotheses for the fungal population shift at the oak grove, list the measurable predictions for each, pull the last five years of sequence and phenotypic records for Quercus-associated isolates, run comparative statistics to prioritise which prediction to test in the field next month, and write the short methods note for the lab meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCOjob descriptions

Collaborate with other scientists

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Prepare a shared dataset and one-page brief that compares ITS and whole-genome variability across our…
Prepare a shared dataset and one-page brief that compares ITS and whole-genome variability across our collaborators' collections, flag samples with metadata gaps, propose two joint analyses we can run on the pooled set, and email the brief and a read-only dataset link to Dr. Morales, Prof. Singh, and technician Laura by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCOjob descriptions
The daily work17

Write reports and scholarly papers

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Draft the methods, results and discussion for a 3,000-word manuscript on fungal community shifts after…
Draft the methods, results and discussion for a 3,000-word manuscript on fungal community shifts after clearcut logging, include sequence-processing parameters, statistical tests, three figures with captions, and a references section formatted for Mycologia by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Perform field research in natural habitats

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Plan and log a two-week field survey of old-growth spruce stands to collect sporocarps and soil cores, list…
Plan and log a two-week field survey of old-growth spruce stands to collect sporocarps and soil cores, list GPS coordinates, sampling times, collector names, permit numbers, and a preservation plan so samples enter the database within 48 hours.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Track and monitor animal behavior

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Set up a two-month camera and acoustic monitoring schedule around known den sites, define behavioural metrics…
Set up a two-month camera and acoustic monitoring schedule around known den sites, define behavioural metrics to score (foraging, grooming, contact), upload daily observations and timestamps so movement and interaction tables update automatically.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Dissect carcasses and specimens

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Outline a dissection log template for small mammal carcasses: external exam, necropsy steps, tissue samples…
Outline a dissection log template for small mammal carcasses: external exam, necropsy steps, tissue samples taken, molecular subsamples, chain-of-custody, photos, and a checklist so each specimen record is complete before freezer storage.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Assess soil, water, and environmental samples

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Compile a lab report of soil, water and leaf-litter assays from transect B: list methods, soil chemistry…
Compile a lab report of soil, water and leaf-litter assays from transect B: list methods, soil chemistry results, culture and sequencing outputs, quality-control notes, and upload the cleaned dataset and provenance so the environmental dataset is queryable.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Design and carry out breeding studies

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Draft the protocol and sample-size justification for a one-year breeding experiment on coprophilous fungi,…
Draft the protocol and sample-size justification for a one-year breeding experiment on coprophilous fungi, include mating matrix, inoculation schedule, phenotype scoring rubric, and a data-management plan to ingest results into the project database.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Study disease progression in tissues

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Compare histology images and sequencing timepoints for the infected maize tissue set, quantify lesion…
Compare histology images and sequencing timepoints for the infected maize tissue set, quantify lesion expansion and gene-expression changes over six weeks, flag samples with inconsistent metadata, and produce a clean table of progression metrics ready for statistical testing.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Research effects of drugs and chemicals

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Assemble dose–response datasets for antifungal compounds across the lab’s fungal isolates, normalise…
Assemble dose–response datasets for antifungal compounds across the lab’s fungal isolates, normalise concentrations, calculate IC50 values with confidence intervals, highlight outliers, and output a ranked table of candidate compounds for follow-up assays.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Develop new crop varieties

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Cross-reference field trial phenotypes with fungal genotype markers, identify alleles associated with…
Cross-reference field trial phenotypes with fungal genotype markers, identify alleles associated with resistance and yield in the breeding cohort, generate a prioritized list of crosses and markers to track, and export the dataset for breeders.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Monitor pollution and radioactivity levels

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Ingest environmental sensor logs and mushroom tissue radionuclide assays, correlate fungal abundance with…
Ingest environmental sensor logs and mushroom tissue radionuclide assays, correlate fungal abundance with pollutant and radioactivity measures by location, flag hotspots exceeding safety thresholds, and deliver a geotagged report for regulators.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Present findings at conferences

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Compile the lab’s latest experiments, methods, and key graphs into a single narrative slide deck for the…
Compile the lab’s latest experiments, methods, and key graphs into a single narrative slide deck for the Northern Mycology Conference, include reproducible analysis notes and a one-slide summary of implications for pathologists.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Evaluate environmental impact on organisms

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Aggregate multi-year survey data on fungal populations, environmental variables and host health, run…
Aggregate multi-year survey data on fungal populations, environmental variables and host health, run multivariate tests to detect significant environmental drivers, and produce a concise impact assessment with tables for the policy brief.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesjob descriptions

Report on their findings

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Write a concise report of my fungal survey results, summarise sample sites, sequence matches, confidence…
Write a concise report of my fungal survey results, summarise sample sites, sequence matches, confidence metrics and anomalies, attach the alignment summary and metadata table, and flag taxa that need confirmation for Monday's lab meeting.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCO

Discover data patterns

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Scan the recent sequence set for recurring variants and co-occurrence patterns, present the top three…
Scan the recent sequence set for recurring variants and co-occurrence patterns, present the top three correlated SNP clusters with their site distribution and potential ecological drivers, and mark clusters worth culturing next week.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCO

Perform data analysis

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Run the statistical analysis on the latest ITS and LSU datasets to produce diversity indices, rarefaction…
Run the statistical analysis on the latest ITS and LSU datasets to produce diversity indices, rarefaction curves and differential abundance tests, export the figures and a CSV of results for inclusion in the manuscript draft due Friday.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCOsee the evidence ↗

Use databases

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Query the database for all specimens collected from Site A between June and September, pull their sequence…
Query the database for all specimens collected from Site A between June and September, pull their sequence records, environmental metadata and curator notes, and generate a combined table sorted by sequence quality for review.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesESCOsee the evidence ↗

Bioinformatics databases

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Log the new fungal isolate identifiers, culture conditions, ITS reads and phenotype observations into the…
Log the new fungal isolate identifiers, culture conditions, ITS reads and phenotype observations into the bioinformatics databases for the SoilFungi survey, flag cultures needing repeat plating, and alert lab manager Marco before Friday.
The tools that do the workbioinformatics databasesO*NET

Says who?

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O*NET 19-1029.00BLS pay surveyBLS OEWS 2025UK NOS SFHHCS9ESCOebsco.comwhat people in this job say

Activities this job lives in

The human activities behind the tasks — each with its honest AI ceiling.

foraging

The logs, files & records this job keeps

Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.

bioinformatics databaseslaboratorydatabases

Related careers

Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.

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