Biotechnologist
What the work is
Studies the anatomy, physiology, genetics and characteristics of living organisms and isolated biological molecules to improve or develop new products and processes in a wide range of industries, including agriculture, food production and medicine.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Studies, analyses and manipulates genes to develop new drugs
- Analyses and models large datasets of molecular and genomic sequences to identify patterns
- Researches, develops and creates new products in biotechnology
- Identifies and improves industrial use of genetic attributes of cells and organisms
- Uses computational methods to develop new, or improve existing, software tools and algorithms used in the analysis of large datasets of biological data
- Researches, develops and improves biodegradable materials
- Genetically modifies crops to improve pest resistance and increase productivity
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a microbiology laboratory that tests food and water, and a coastal reef research team. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A mystery contamination is traced to its source and the plant can fix it
- You see something through a microscope that nobody in the room has seen before
- Your survey data helps protect a patch of reef that was due to be dredged
Hard days
- A test result you believe in is not what a client wanted to hear
- Early starts and wet suits in cold water, followed by days of counting and recording
- A contaminated sample and a client who is also a friend
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 244631, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.