Drug developers and chemical, cosmetic, and other consumer-product companies employ toxicologists to assess whether new drugs and new products are safe (see chart). Academic toxicologists often explore molecular mechanisms of toxicity, whereas government agencies employ toxicologists to review and regulate drugs and chemicals. Nearly a third of toxicologists work in industry.

But the toxicology workforce is graying and a labor shortage looms, according to experts and data collected by SOT. "We're looking for new blood and wondering where the next generation is going to come from," says David Eaton, a toxicologist and associate vice provost for research at UW.

A 2007 salary survey conducted by SOT found 434 unfilled Ph.D.-level toxicology jobs in North America. Of those, 130 were postdocs. This is a substantial number for a relatively small field, says Popp; about 9000 toxicologists work in the United States and Canada. Further, annual demand is outstripping supply: About half the open positions go unfilled each year. "This is no surprise to anyone who does any recruiting," says Popp. Filling open positions has "gotten much more difficult."

Europe also faces a "serious unmet need for toxicologists," says Timothy Hammond, a toxicologist at AstraZeneca's facility in Alderley Park, U.K.--although Hammond thinks toxicology recruiting has "hit the bottom of the curve," at least in Europe. The U.K.'s is launching a new center for drug safety sciences that will include a toxicology training program. The European Union's Innovative Medicines Initiative also includes funds for training 25 new master's-level toxicology students each year. more