University researchers are the most lowly paid of all physicists, according to a survey commissioned by the Institute of Physics. It found that researchers earn a median salary of Pounds 21,000. Physicists in higher education who also teach fared better, earning a median salary of Pounds 33,000. Physicists in the chemical and petrochemical industries earn Pounds 37,400, while those working in telecommunications earn Pounds 35,500. About 4,500 physicists responded.