Biochemists and Biophysicists
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics > Science and MathematicsProjected Growth: Average
Projected Job Openings
Extensive Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. May conduct research to further understanding of the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and heredity. May determine the effects of foods, drugs, serums, hormones, and other substances on tissues and vital processes of living organisms.
Common job titles of Biochemists and Biophysicists include:
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Experience and Education
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
40.91% said they needed a Doctoral Degree.
31.82% said they needed a Post-Doctoral Training.
Tasks
Study the chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, or living energy changes, such as growth, aging, or death.
Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.
Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work.
Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology.
Isolate, analyze, or synthesize vitamins, hormones, allergens, minerals, or enzymes and determine their effects on body functions.
Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes.
Design or perform experiments with equipment such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers.
Design or build laboratory equipment needed for special research projects.
Examine the molecular or chemical aspects of immune system functioning.
Research transformations of substances in cells, using atomic isotopes.
Produce pharmaceutically or industrially useful proteins, using recombinant DNA technology.
Investigate the nature, composition, or expression of genes or research how genetic engineering can impact these processes.
Research the chemical effects of substances, such as drugs, serums, hormones, or food, on tissues or vital processes.
Determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules.
Study the mutations in organisms that lead to cancer or other diseases.
Develop or execute tests to detect diseases, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities.
Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences.
Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of biological processes.
Develop methods to process, store, or use foods, drugs, or chemical compounds.
Research how characteristics of plants or animals are carried through successive generations.
Prepare pharmaceutical compounds for commercial distribution.
Study spatial configurations of submicroscopic molecules, such as proteins, using x-rays or electron microscopes.
Develop or test new drugs or medications intended for commercial distribution.
Tools
X ray microscopes
X ray crystallography equipment
Water purification units
Water baths
Viscometers
Video positioning equipment
Video enhanced differential interference contrast microscopes
All ToolsVibratome tissue sectioning systems
Vacuum freezers
Ultraviolet UV transilluminators
Ultraviolet UV spectroscopes
Ultrasonic cleaners
Ultramicrotomes
Ultracentrifuges
Transmission electron microscopes TEM
Transillumination microscopes
Top-loading electronic balances
Thermal imagers
Test tubes
Tabletop centrifuges
Synchrotrons
Stopped-flow spectrophotometers
Spectropolarimeters
Spectrophotometers
Spectrofluorimeters
Specific gravity balances
Sonicators
Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance NMR equipment
Solid state diode lasers
Signal generators
Shaking waterbaths
Shaking incubators
Scintillation counters
Scanning laser microscopes
Scanning electron microscopes SEM
Scanners
Sartorius balances
Sapphire lasers
Sample concentrators
Rotating anode X ray generators
Rheometers
Refrigerated centrifuges
Raman difference spectrometers
Protein sequencers
Power amplifiers
Positron emission tomography PET scanners
Plotters
Pipettes
Phosphorimagers
Phosphorimager video cameras
pH meters
Personal computers
Peptide synthesizers
Pasteur pipettes
Orbital shakers
Optical tweezers
Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectroscopes
Notebook computers
Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet Nd:YAG lasers
Near-field light microscopes
Nanoscopes
Multichannel detectors
Multi-angle elastic-light scattering systems
Mossbauer spectroscopes
Microsusceptometers
Microscope slides
Microplate readers
Microphysiometers
Microinjectors
Microdosimeters
Microcentrifuges
Microcalorimeters
Mettler balances
Megafuge centrifuges
Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI microscopes
Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI equipment
Mass spectrometers
Mainframe computers
Magnetic tweezers
Magnetic piconewton-force transducers
Liquid nuclear magnetic resonance NMR equipment
Liquid handling robots
Linear accelerators
Light scattering devices
Lasers
Laser tweezers
Laser printers
Laser particle sizers
Laser induced temperature jump nanosecond relaxation spectrometer systems
Laser Doppler zeta potential analyzers
Large upright microscopes
Langmuir balances
Laminar flow hoods
Laboratory vacuum pumps
Laboratory convection ovens
Krypton lasers
Isothermal titration calorimeters ITC
Ionometers
Inverted microscopes
Incubators
Hot plates
Homogenizers
High-pressure liquid chromatographs
High-pressure high-temperature reactors
Hemoglobin analyzers
Heating mantles
Heat incubators
Heat blocks
Growth chambers
Graduated cylinders
Glassware condensers
Glassware adaptors
Gel boxes
Gas chromatographs GC
Gamma ray irradiators
Funnels
Freeze dryers
Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectroscopes
Fluorescence spectroscopes
Flow cytometers
Flexi-dry lyophilizers
Flame ionization detectors FID
Filtering funnels
Fermenters
Erlenmeyer flasks
Electrophoresis power supplies
Electron spin resonance spectroscopes
Electron paramagnetic resonance EPR spectrometers
Electron microscopes
Electroencephalography EEG equipment
Dual wavelength spectroscopes
Differential scanning calorimeters
Dichroic beamsplitters
Desktop computers
Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
Darkroom equipment
Cytospin centrifuges
Cryotransmission electron microscopes
Cryostat tissue microtomes
Cryomicroscopes
Cryogenic freezers
Cryocut microtomes
Continuous flow centrifuges
Confocal microscopes
Computerized axial tomography CAT scan equipment
Circulating water cooling systems
Circular dichroism spectroscopes
Chemistry analyzers
Chemical fume hoods
Charge-coupled device CCD cameras
Cell sorters
Carbon dioxide CO2 incubators
Capillary electrophoresis equipment
Brewster angle microscopes
Biological safety hoods
Biofreezers
Binocular light compound microscopes
Beakers
Basic vapor pressure osmometers
Balances
Automatic x ray film developers
Automatic pipetters
Automated electrophoresis equipment
Autoclaves
Auto gamma counters
Atomic force microscopes
Argon lasers
Analytical ultracentrifuges
Analytical balances
Amino acid analyzers
Technologies
Accelrys Insight II
ChemInnovation Software Chem 4-D
IBM SPSS Statistics
Linux
Practical extraction and reporting language Perl
Python
3D graphics software
All TechnologiesAccelrys Cerius2
Accelrys FELIX
Accelrys QAUNTA
Analysis and building software
Assisted model building with energy refinement AMBER
AutoQuant AutoDeblur
Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST
Carrier-mediated transport software
Chang Bioscience ToolKit
Chemistry at Harvard Molecular Mechanics CHARMm
Crystallographic software
Crystallography & NMR System (CNS)
Dassasult Systemes Abaqus
Docking and ligand binding software
Elsevier MDL ISIS/Draw
ESRI What if?
Expression DNA and protein sequence software
Fujitsu BioMedCache
Fujitsu MOPAC
Gaussian software
GE Healthcare ImageQuant TL
Genetics computer group GSG software
GEPASI
Golden Helix ChemTree
Golden Helix HelixTree
Hodgkin-Huxley Model software
Intelligent Imaging Innovations SlideBook
Internet browser software
ItemTracker
JustBio SeqPainter
Laboratory information management system LIMS
Macroscopic diffusion software
Molecular Devices Corporation MetaFluor
Molecular Devices Corporation MetaMorph
Molecular Networks GmbH Biochemical Pathways
Molecular simulation software
Molecular Simulations WebLab ViewerPro
Multivariate statistical program MVSP software
PREMIER Biosoft Array Designer
Presentation software
Semichem AMPAC
Sequence database software
Shrodinger Jaguar
Structure prediction software
Tripos SYBYL
Video analysis software
Voltage-gated ion channels software
Wavefunction Spartan
Wavefunction Titan
Yet another scientific artificial reality application YASARA software
Skills
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Abilities
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Inductive Reasoning
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression
Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Information Ordering
Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Category Flexibility
See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Near Vision
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Fluency of Ideas
Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Originality
Choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Quantitative Abilities › Mathematical Reasoning
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
Auditory and Speech Abilities › Sensory Abilities › Speech Clarity
Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Problem Sensitivity
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Cognitive Abilities › Quantitative Abilities › Number Facility