Scientist Jobs in San Diego, CA

Scientist jobs in San Diego are concentrated in Torrey Pines, Sorrento Valley, and the Kearny Mesa biotech corridor, with strong demand across life sciences, pharmaceutical research, and defense analytics. Employers actively hiring include Intuit, UC San Diego, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.

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Overview

Open roles770+
Top employerIntuit
Work type73% On-site
Top credentialMaster's degree
Companies hiring50

Showing 5 of 770+ Scientist jobs

Scientist 1
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New 7h ago
Scientist 1
Illumina
San Diego, California
Biotech & Life Sciences
Environmental & Physical Sciences
Laboratory Research
$63k - $94k/yr
Bachelor's degree
5,001-10,000

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Principal / Sr. Principal Scientist - Molecular Biology & Protein Expression
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Added 2d ago
Principal / Sr. Principal Scientist - Molecular Biology & Protein Expression
Eli Lilly
San Diego, California
Biotech & Life Sciences
Clinical Trials
Research & Academia
$72k - $189k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in biological science
10,000+

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2027 Intern Product Support – Data Scientist
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Added 2d ago
2027 Intern Product Support – Data Scientist
Northrop Grumman
San Diego, California
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
ML (Machine Learning)
$1 - $48/hr
10,000+

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Senior Data Scientist, Identity Data Science
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Added 2d ago
Senior Data Scientist, Identity Data Science
Intuit
San Diego, California
Customer Support
IT Support
Technical Program Management
$150k - $203k/yr
10,000+

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Director, Clinical Scientist
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Added 2d ago
Director, Clinical Scientist
Kumquat Biosciences
San Diego, California
Biotech & Life Sciences
Clinical Trials & Medical Research
Data Science
Research & Academia
Remote (US)
Bachelor of Science

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See All 770+ Scientist Jobs in San Diego

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Scientist Job Market in San Diego

Who's Hiring

  • Intuit89
  • UC San Diego49
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific39
  • Illumina30
  • Amazon30

Top Industries Hiring

  • Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals30
  • Medical Devices20
  • Insurance10
  • Technology & Software10
  • Electronics & Hardware10

Scientist Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a scientist job in San Diego?

Focus your search on San Diego's Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley corridors, where biotech, genomics, and pharmaceutical employers cluster most densely. Candidates with hands-on wet lab experience, familiarity with GMP environments, or backgrounds in oncology and immunology research tend to stand out locally. Networking through BIOCOM San Diego, the region's life sciences trade association, also opens doors that job boards alone often miss.

Which companies hire scientists in San Diego?

Employers hiring scientists in San Diego right now include Intuit, UC San Diego, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's employer mix skews heavily toward mid-size biotech firms and large pharmaceutical companies with research campuses, alongside federal contractors tied to the Navy and defense sector in Kearny Mesa and Point Loma.

Are there remote scientist jobs in San Diego?

Yes, but only selectively: hands-on bench and lab roles require on-site presence by nature, while bioinformatics, data science, and regulatory affairs positions are far more remote-compatible. About 27% of scientist openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with those flexible arrangements concentrated most in computational and clinical research functions rather than wet lab or manufacturing roles.

How can I get a scientist job in San Diego with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path in San Diego is a research associate or lab technician role at one of the many mid-size biotech startups in Sorrento Valley that regularly hire candidates fresh from university programs at UC San Diego or San Diego State. Contract research organizations in the area also bring on entry-level scientists for clinical trial support. A strong academic project portfolio or any internship with a San Diego biotech, even unpaid, moves a resume past the screening stage.

Which industries hire the most scientists in San Diego?

Most scientist openings in San Diego sit in Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Insurance, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's position as one of the country's top three biotech hubs, anchored by decades of investment from institutions like the Salk Institute and Scripps Research, keeps life sciences and pharmaceutical demand consistently higher here than in most other U.S. markets.

See All 770+ Scientist Jobs in San Diego

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