I've been interested in programming for years, but building apps or tweaking user interfaces has never appealed to me. I'm much more interested in using code to investigate scientific questions—such as simulating chemical reactions, molecules, physical systems, or biological models. Is this a realistic career path, and what kinds of jobs or degree programs should I look into? Would computer science, applied mathematics, or a specific science degree with computational training be the best foundation?
4 Answers
A strong route is to study applied mathematics with a computational concentration, or choose a scientific field you care about and add substantial computing coursework. Programming is usually the tool, while the scientific subject and mathematics provide the knowledge needed to build useful models.
You may want to make the science your main degree and take computer science as a minor or secondary focus. In computational research, understanding the field—chemistry, biology, physics, or neuroscience—is often just as important as knowing how to write code.
Look for positions labeled “computational scientist,” “scientific computing,” or “research software engineer” rather than only searching for programmer jobs. The terminology can make a big difference when finding relevant careers.
This is definitely a real field. One computational neuroscience researcher described using applied mathematics to build ordinary-differential-equation, stochastic, and 3D simulations in a laboratory setting. Be prepared for advanced math, since many scientific-computing roles require more mathematics than a typical computer science degree provides. You can also contribute by developing or improving established simulation packages in areas such as quantum chemistry. Emerging specialties, including quantum-computing simulation, may offer additional opportunities, but they require a strong foundation in physics, mathematics, and programming.
That’s the kind of path I was hoping existed. I’d rather use programming to solve scientific problems than spend all day building typical applications, so I’ll research applied math and computational science programs.