Develops new food products and menu items for food manufacturers and restaurant chains by combining chef skills with food science. BLS does not publish separate figures for food scientists and technologists; it counts them within food scientist and technologist (SOC 19-1012), whose median pay is $88,720 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 19-1012
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Research Chef in four numbers
- Median pay
- $88,720a year, or $42.65/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $53KTop 10% $145K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.2%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,00014,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202514.1K
- Projected 203514.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 14.1K Projected 2035 14.9K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Certificate9.1%
- Associate's4.6%
- Bachelor's81.8%
- Master's4.6%
Highest education held by food scientists and technologists Segment Value Certificate 9.1% Associate's 4.6% Bachelor's 81.8% Master's 4.6%
Also advertised as: Culinologist, Product Development Chef, Corporate Research Chef, Culinary Development Manager, R&D Chef.
Pay
How much do Food Scientists and Technologists make?
Every research chef in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$88,720
Middle half earn $68,810 to $116,650
- 10th
- $52,920
- 25th
- $68,810
- 75th
- $116,650
- 90th
- $145,280
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $52,920 |
| 25th | $68,810 |
| Median | $88,720 |
| 75th | $116,650 |
| 90th | $145,280 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $88,720
- Median hourly wage
- $42.65/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $95,360
- People employed
- 13,060
Versus all US occupations
At $88,720, Food Scientists and Technologists earn 74% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $37,740 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 8% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $145,280 or more while the bottom 10% earn $52,920, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 65% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
South Carolina posts the highest raw median ($108,660), but once local prices are taken into account Missouri leads at $116,641 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Food Scientists and Technologists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1South Carolina | $108,660 | $115,905 | 90 |
| 2Missouri | $105,930 | $116,641 | 390 |
| 3New Jersey | $104,340 | $95,896 | 630 |
| 4Massachusetts | $103,580 | $97,942 | 420 |
| 5Florida | $101,160 | $97,820 | 170 |
| 6Colorado | $99,580 | $96,631 | 320 |
| 7Minnesota | $99,280 | $100,668 | 670 |
| 8Kentucky | $98,710 | $109,484 | 170 |
| 9Alabama | $97,480 | $109,746 | 60 |
| 10Washington | $94,990 | $88,765 | 250 |
Job outlook
Is Research Chef a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Food Scientists and Technologists | +6.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Food Scientists and Technologists to change 6.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,000 openings are projected each year, 7.1% of the 14,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Research Chef
Research chefs usually combine culinary training with food science. Some have a culinary degree and kitchen experience and then learn food science on the job. Others complete a Culinology degree, a program approved by the Research Chefs Association that blends culinary arts and food science, or a food science degree from a program recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists. The Research Chefs Association offers the Certified Research Chef and Certified Culinary Scientist credentials for experienced professionals.
Many break in through test kitchen assistant or culinary technician roles at food manufacturers, flavor houses, or restaurant chain headquarters.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as food scientists and technologists.
- Bachelor's Degree81.8%
- Post-Secondary Certificate9.1%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree4.6%
- Master's Degree4.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 81.8% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.1% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 4.6% |
| Master's Degree | 4.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Research Chef do?
A research chef creates the recipes behind packaged foods, frozen meals, sauces, and chain restaurant menus. They start with a concept, such as a new spicy chicken sandwich or a plant-based entree, and develop a version that tastes great in a test kitchen. Then they work with food scientists to make it work at scale, survive freezing or shelf storage, meet nutrition targets, and hit a cost per serving.
The job involves many rounds of benchtop testing, sensory panels, plant trials, and presentations to marketing teams and clients. Research chefs track food trends, write specifications for suppliers, and help operations teams train cooks on new items.
Day-to-day tasks
- Develop new recipes and menu concepts in a test kitchen
- Adapt gold-standard recipes for large-scale manufacturing
- Work with food scientists on shelf life, texture, and food safety
- Run sensory tests and tastings with marketing teams and clients
- Calculate recipe costs and nutrition information
- Write product specifications for suppliers and plants
- Attend plant trials to check that products match the target
- Track food and flavor trends to propose new products
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Research chefs work in corporate test kitchens, product development labs, and manufacturing plants. Hours are closer to a standard business week than restaurant work, with occasional travel to plants for production trials, to suppliers, and to trade shows. The job mixes hands-on cooking with computer work on formulas and specifications.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Writing3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Science3.9
- Monitoring3.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Science | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Quality Control Analysis3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Persuasion3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Sales and marketing software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Research Chef?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IAR) built on O*NET's Food Scientist and Technologist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Research Chef |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative5.8
- Realistic5.0
- Conventional4.0
- Artistic3.3
- Enterprising2.6
- Social2.2
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Research Chef
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with food scientists and technologists highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Research Chef$88,720
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Research Chef | $88,720 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Research Chef appears on
Questions
Research Chef: frequently asked questions
How much do Food Scientists and Technologists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for food scientists and technologists. It counts them within food scientist and technologist, whose median pay is $88,720 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $68,810 and $116,650, and the top 10% earn $145,280 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Research Chef?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Food Scientists and Technologists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.8% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Research Chef a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Research Chef do?
A research chef creates the recipes behind packaged foods, frozen meals, sauces, and chain restaurant menus. A typical task: develop new recipes and menu concepts in a test kitchen. Employers most often ask for Business intelligence and data analysis software, Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Food Scientists and Technologists the most?
The highest state medians for Food Scientists and Technologists are South Carolina ($108,660), Missouri ($105,930), New Jersey ($104,340) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Missouri moves to the top at $116,641.
What personality type suits a Research Chef?
O*NET scores Food Scientists and Technologists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.