Data science is eating the world. Everyone wants data scientists.
You’re a microbiologist. It’s hugely credible that you’ve done some crazy data crunching for your science work. Spin that into an increasing interest in the pure data science.
Voila, you’re writing python for a living at the top of the market with a hugely valued differentiated skill set.
I tend to hear from actual data scientists that the field is a lot harder to get into than what the press is reporting.
I've talked to a lot of data scientists, and I can't recall any without a PhD said they were initially hired for that role. I have met quite a few that were initially hired as a support programmers then moved into data science once they had their foot in the door though.
"Hugely credible" and actual experience in data analysis/statistics are completely different things. And if you don't have the statistics/math background, you'll find out that now instead of just programming, you need to learn programming and statistics. Which might be too much for someone who doesn't know where to start.
Thus, it's dirty easy to get a job in this area with a background in biology. It's just a relatively small pivot that can be done smoothly.
Oxford is even starting a new college to address the data & life sciences challenge.