Career Advice From Professionals

 Who will hire BCMB Graduates?

What will I need to be competitive for positions in BCMB?

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 Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology is a relatively new field that sets at the intersection of natural and physical sciences and is at the heart of corresponding emerging industries.

Graduates are thus well suited to enter the work place or graduate training in a wide range of careers, including cutting edge sciences.

Thus, while employment for BCMB professionals remains strong in traditional areas like drug development, it is expected to increase in cross-disciplinary areas like agriculture, environment and informatics.

Employment in BCMB areas obviously requires a sound scientific background, but when in competition with others also with good science academic credentials, demonstration of other skills makes the difference.

 According to the professional biochemistry and molecular biology association, FASEB, "Career prospects seem bright for someone trained in the molecular life sciences. Projections for the next 20 years indicate that there will be thousands of unfulfilled science and engineering jobs. A large fraction of that shortage will be in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology.

BCMB careers include:

    • drug discovery,
    • receptor biology,
    • bioinformatics,
    • bioanalytical chemistry,
    • formulations and drug delivery,
    • clinical research
    • medical diagnostics
    • food sciences
    • bioprocess engineering,
    • regulatory compliance,
    • quality control
    • industrial safety
    • science manufacturing management,
    • science sales and marketing,
    • science business development and licensing
    • intellectual property (and patent law)
    • science education (high school, college)

Recruiters and employers look at your science credentials but also look for evidence that you are

    • creative, energetic, and multidimensional so they can perform a variety of different
      tasks
    • adaptive to change;
    • curious, enthusiastic
    • team players
    • leaders (people management, problem-solving skills, and listening skills)
    • computer skilled- software, information systems, databases
    • experienced researchers
    • organizationally savy
    • integratative, reflective, multidiscipliary
    • problem solver
 Clearly, BCMB graduates are at a key juncture that society will need in laboratories but also in law, management, and business.

 As you plan your curriculum and activities, be sure to build your portfolio to demostrate skills in these areas.

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