Physicist

Apply physical principles to research, instrumentation and industry across universities, CSIRO, ANSTO and defence.

Salary

Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Other Natural and Physical Science Professionals (2349) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.

Figure	AUD	Source
Median full-time weekly earnings	$2052	Your Career (2026-09-23)

How far does this stretch in each city?

Jobs, demand and who does this work

Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Physicist (including Astronomers) (234914), the closest official match for physicist, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).

People employed: 1,500
Future demand: Strong
Work full-time: 87%
Average full-time hours: 41 a week
Women: 26%
Median age: 41

Where the jobs are (share of workers)

NSW	30.7%
VIC	26%
QLD	13.4%
WA	9.5%
SA	12.7%
TAS	1.3%
ACT	5.6%
NT	0%

Highest qualification held by workers

Postgraduate qualification	82.3%
Bachelor degree	13.1%
Diploma or advanced diploma	0.8%
Certificate I-IV	0.7%
Year 12	1.5%
Below Year 12	0.3%

What a physicist actually does

Physicists in Australian research are spread across universities, ANSTO, CSIRO, Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and a small but growing quantum-tech industry. A typical day mixes experimental work, computation and writing. Experimentalists spend mornings setting up apparatus (cryostats, lasers, optical benches, neutron beam lines or detectors), running data acquisition, and troubleshooting equipment. Theorists and computational physicists spend most of the day at a workstation building models in Python, Julia or MATLAB and running simulations on HPC clusters. Afternoons usually involve group meetings, reading recent journal output, writing papers, drafting grant proposals and supervising students. Hours sit around 38 to 42 per week in industry and government, with academic and PhD-era researchers commonly stretching longer during experimental runs or proposal seasons. Roles in medical physics, geophysics and quantum technology each have their own rhythm; medical physicists run clinical hours, geophysicists travel for field campaigns, and quantum-tech engineers work to product-development sprints.

Typical tasks

Design and run experiments.
Build computational models.
Lead instrumentation projects.

Skills you'll use

Quantum, optical and condensed-matter physics fundamentals
Programming in Python, Julia or MATLAB, with HPC for simulations
Designing, building and debugging experimental apparatus
Statistical and signal-processing techniques
Reading and writing for peer-reviewed journals and grant applications
Operating specialised instruments such as cryostats, lasers and detectors
Communicating complex physics to non-physicists (industry partners, students)

How to become one

1Finish Year 12 with English, Physics, Chemistry (helpful), and Maths Methods plus Specialist or Advanced Maths where available
2Complete a 3-year Bachelor of Science with a physics major, or a Bachelor of Advanced Science / Philosophy with physics specialisation
3Add an Honours year (1 year of research project plus thesis), since most professional and research physicist roles in Australia assume Honours
4Gain research experience through summer scholarships at ANU, USyd, Melbourne, UNSW or through ANSTO and CSIRO student programs
5Apply for graduate roles at CSIRO, ANSTO, DSTG, Silicon Quantum Computing, Q-CTRL or similar, or move into a PhD for research-led careers
6Complete a PhD (3-4 years) if you plan to lead research, work as a senior physicist at CSIRO or ANSTO, or move into a university academic role; medical physicists complete an accredited Masters and ACPSEM Training Educational and Assessment Program (TEAP)

Where you can work

Universities, especially the Group of Eight (ANU, USyd, Melbourne, UNSW, Monash, UQ, UWA, Adelaide)
CSIRO research divisions
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and defence primes
Quantum tech and deep-tech start-ups (Silicon Quantum Computing, Q-CTRL, Diraq)
Medical physics teams in major public hospitals (radiation oncology, nuclear medicine)
Resources and oil and gas geophysics teams

Career progression

Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.

Graduate
0-2 years
Typical roles: Graduate physicist, Junior instrumentation scientist, Defence research scientist (entry level)
PhD candidate
0-4 years
Typical roles: PhD student on stipend, Research scholar
Postdoctoral researcher
3-7 years post-PhD
Typical roles: Postdoctoral fellow, Research scientist, Quantum systems engineer
Senior scientist or Lecturer
8-15 years
Typical roles: Senior research scientist, Lecturer or senior lecturer, Senior medical physicist
Principal scientist or Professor
15+ years
Typical roles: Principal research scientist, Associate professor or Professor, Director of a research group

Is this for you?

This might not suit you if

You want a high starting salary straight out of a 3-year degree
You dislike maths or computational work
You are not patient with long, uncertain research projects
You want a guaranteed permanent role rather than fixed-term research contracts

Ways in

Uni and TAFE routes for physicist. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

No direct TAFE pathway to this career.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.