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Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - BojanaL - 10-10-2012

Various biotechnology careers include forensic DNA analyst, scientist, clinical research associate job, laboratory assistant, microbiologist, greenhouse and field technician, bioinformatics specialist, animal caretaker and many more.

A survey conducted by a private firm, to find out what are 10 happiest professions in America had some interesting findings. Conclusions were made after 200,000 people working in 70,000 different jobs were interviewed. A lot of things were taken under consideration: how much people appreciate their daily tasks, bosses, co-workers, salary, company culture and reputation…All examined subjects ranked how investigated factors correlate with their overall satisfaction. Salary wasn't most important factor for employee’s happiness. Type of a daily jobs, control over work done and relationship with colleagues were considered most important. Career that combines all necessary factors to make people enjoy time spent in their offices (laboratories) – is career in biotechnology! Shy
Biotechnology is combining knowledge about life and living organisms with modern technology to create new systems, devices, materials, food…that could improve human life and help preserve environment. Most biotechnology products are associated with agriculture, food industry and medicine, and logically - careers in those fields are most popular.

Following is an interesting summary of options in Biotechnology as a career:

[Image: jobtitles.gif]
Image courtesy: http://faculty.ivytech.edu/~slee/images/jobtitles.gif


A list of careers in biotech is long; here are few that sound really interesting:

Laboratory Assistant
Scientific laboratory could perform different kind of research, but as a laboratory assistant your main duties will be sampling, measuring, collecting and analyzing investigated data… Maintenance of laboratory equipment such as centrifuges, titrators, pipetting machines…is also one of the tasks. Laboratory tests and strict methodology are very important especially when hazardous material is under investigation. Besides using typical lab equipment in work – computational analysis of given data is also important. High quality laboratory work is necessary for later research and development stages.

Average Salary (per month) for a laboratory assistant may range from:
US $1500-2500
In India, salaries may range between: INR 10,000-25000



Greenhouse and Field Technician
Modern agricultural research is dealing with new, genetically modified plants. As a greenhouse and field technician, you’ll be in charge for planting seeds, pollinating plants, applying fertilizers and pesticides. Special attention to the problems that may arise (pest, disease…) is extremely important as those are genetically modified organisms. Basic knowledge of equipment used in everyday work as well as computer knowledge is also very important for this position.

Average Salary (per month) for a Green House and Field Technician may range from:
US $2500-3000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 15,000-30,000
(or more, depending upon the experience)


Forensic DNA Analyst
This position is usually associated with crime laboratories where DNA analysis is performed to solve legal issues. Urine, saliva, blood, semen, hair…those are the samples that could be used for DNA analysis. After sample collection, DNA is extracted and analyzed using couple methods (PCR, electrophoresis). Final results are further compared with the already known DNA profiles. Methodology is strict: properly collected and stored evidence, documentation on technical laboratory details and well written final reports are essential for successful prosecution. Depending on the laboratory size, employees could be more or less specialized. 
Average Salary (per month) for a Forensic DNA Analyst may range from:
US $4000-5000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-40,000
(or more, depending upon the experience)



Clinical Research Associate
Clinical research associate (CRA) is monitoring clinical trials on a new drug. After preclinical studies (when tested on animals) are finished, drug is entering clinical trials where (depending on the study phase) smaller or larger group of people will be evaluated for possible adverse effects. CRA is included both in study design and in writing reports using given results. Close monitoring is especially important to make sure that protocol is not violated. Clinical data is collected, summarized and analyzed to help made final conclusion on a drug effect.

Average Salary (per month) for a Clinical Research Associate may range from:
US $4500-5000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 20,000-25,000
(or more, depending upon the experience and repute of the firm)


Bioinformatics Specialist

Bioinformatics is combining biology and computers. Data derived from various studies (DNA associated experiments, for example) is gathered in the computers. Software is in charge for data organization, manipulation and final analysis. Data mining is useful way to collect lot of publically available and jet relevant data that could be used in different experimental stages (for comparison or quick information extraction) or to help merge data from different sources. Programming skills are necessary for software and database manufacture and maintenance. 

Average Salary (per month) for a Bioinformatics Specialist may range from:
US $5000-6000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-45,000
(or more, depending upon the experience and repute of the firm)


Animal Caretaker
Animal caretaker is nurturing animals used in biotech research. List of species used is long: all the way from mice and rats to cows and chimps. Water and food supplies, cage cleaning, animal health monitoring, relocation, milking, artificial insemination…  a lot of duties need to be performed and not all tasks are representative. If you put aside that animals have specific odor (and different bodily fluids and excretions) keep in mind that watching animal suffer during experiments isn’t easy or nice thing to do.
Average Salary (per month) for an Animal Caretaker may range from:
US $1000-1200
In India, salaries may range between: INR 10,000-15,000


Production Engineer
A Production Engineer role can be obtained in any Biotechnology Product based company (like Cosmetics/FMCG, Pharmaceutical firms, Food industry etc). Role of a production engineer involves mapping process parameters to keep the line of production progressive (which is crucial for any large scale production company, especially pharmaceuticals).

Average Salary (per month) for a Production Engineer may range from:
US $6000-7000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-50,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)



Qualiy Assurance (QA) Engineer
For becoming a quality assurance engineer in a biotechnology company, you need to have specialization/professional experience in Microbiology/Aseptic compliance. Role of a QA engineer is to ensure contamination free and standardized product formation. Controlling the the level of toxins, microbial contamination, proportions of various constituents is what comes under the role of a QA engineer.

Average Salary (per month) for a QA engineer may range from:
US $5000-6000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 25,000-30,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)



Consultant
Companies like McKinsey, IBM, Evalueserve, Wipro, TCS, Deloitte etc hire biotechnology consultants for market research, knowledge process outsourcing, Audits, R&D etc.

Average Salary (per month) for a Consultant may range from:
US $6000-8000
In India, salaries may range between: INR 30,000-1,00,000 (depending upon experience, institute of study and company as well)



Number of people working in biotech industry in USA is exceeding 180.000. List of possible occupations is long and will expand as biotech is growing and moving in various directions with each new day. You just need to figure out what part of it you like the most.


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - biotechpv - 10-10-2012

There is always a question which people in the Biotechnology sector are asked. Why did they choose this field? Most of them answer humanity and their hunger to save lives by curing diseases and do their bit to make lives for people easy and healthy.

Biotechnology is a growing industry in United States and other developed countries offering excellent pay and benefits. Many positions are available for people with a background in biological science with good laboratory and computer science skills.

Biotechnology, however, is no new science. It has been around for years right from the 1970’s when the recombinant DNA was discovered.

Although biotechnology industries make many different products from vaccines to seeds to specialized equipment, many of the job duties and titles are similar across the industry. To understand the different job functions, the jobs can be grouped into five areas:

1. Research and development (which includes research and development, laboratory support and technician jobs);
2. Manufacturing and services;
3. Quality and regulatory affairs;
4. Sales and technical support; and
5. Administration and management.

The lists of roles mentioned by you are a few but there are a lot more Biotechnology job roles. Jobs overlap and appear in more than one area since the same tasks may be needed in, for example, research and development or manufacturing.

One of the promising and happening jobs is in the Quality and Regulatory affairs sector. Some of the jobs include documentation coordinator, health and safety specialist and quality assurance specialist. The duties of this sector include equipment is calibrated properly and all equipment function right. Regulatory affairs employees ensure that all government regulations are followed, working closely with the research and development, manufacturing, quality control and quality assurance departments. They also keep records to prove that products are made exactly as approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Health and safety specialists work to ensure that the workplace is safe for all employees and all safety regulations are followed.

Every industry must have a marketing plan and the biotechnology sector is n exception. A technical support team is essential in order to answer customer questions and to troubleshoot any problems. Technical service representatives also help demonstrate, install and explain products to customers.

The biotechnology industry has experienced steady growth over the past decade, which is expected to continue. The increase in employment will mostly be in the area of bio‐pharmaceuticals, which is by far the largest sector of the biotechnology industry.
The growth of bio‐pharmaceuticals is driven by the high amount of research devoted to this sector. As much as 90% of the money invested in biotechnology research is in the pharmaceutical sector.

Overall, the number of biotech jobs is expected to increase between 2006 and 2016 at a rate that is faster than the average for all jobs, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of people employed in the biotechnology industry continues to grow, as the existing companies hire more employees. Growth in US biotechnology company employment was about 6% between 2005 and 2006 to close to 200,000 employees.

To summarize we as Biotechnologists have a bright future and many opportunities waiting ahead for us.


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - Charles - 10-10-2012

Other popular profiles, some with very decent salaries too..

1. Bioinformatician
2. Biomedical Engineer
3. Biotechnology Laboratory Technician
4. Biotechnology Research Associate
5. Clinical Research Associate
6. Crime Lab Technician
7. Quality Control Analyst
8. Quality Control Engineer
9. Senior Research Scientist
10. Validation Technician
11. Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical Sales


Jobs after Btech Biotech - Kartik - 07-23-2015

Hi all!! My hearty congratulations to all the fellows who have just completed their Btech in Biotechnology. Can anybody please advise me what are the best job opportunities available after Btech in Biotech in India?


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - SunilNagpal - 07-23-2015

(07-23-2015, 01:49 AM)Kartik Wrote: Hi all!! My hearty congratulations to all the fellows who have just completed their Btech in Biotechnology. Can anybody please advise me what are the best job opportunities available after Btech in Biotech in India?

Hi..following is alist of Indian Biotech Companies where you can consider applying at:
http://www.biotechnologyforums.com/thread-2263.html

Following is a list of various career opportunities/options in Biotech:
http://www.biotechnologyforums.com/thread-1750.html

Hope it helps

Best wishes


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - priyansha sinha - 01-28-2017

Can a biotechnologist pursue his/her career in "medical research for neurological diseases"?


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - SunilNagpal - 01-30-2017

(01-28-2017, 04:46 AM)priyansha sinha Wrote: Can a biotechnologist pursue his/her career in "medical research for neurological diseases"?
Yes, why not, nothing forbids one from choosing his/her own career path. One will definitely need to plan well in that direction (like pursuing projects/ internships inclined to his/her field of interest). Participating in conferences for exposure to the scientific community. Pursuing Masters/PhD in related discipline.


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - maheshmd - 02-01-2017

Is biotechnology is clinical research has scope??


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - SunilNagpal - 02-01-2017

In India, companies like Quintiles and Premas prefer such candidates. Well performing candidates can get absorbed in Syngene and Biocon as well. So, yes, there is a lot of scope.


RE: Careers in Biotechnology - List of various options - maheshmd - 02-03-2017

Thanks sir