National Application Center :: career details :: Biochemists
Career Details :: Biochemists
Description
Research or study chemical composition and processes of living organisms that affect vital processes such as growth and aging to determine chemical actions and effects on organisms such as the action of foods, drugs, or other substances on body functions and tissues.
Experience
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.
Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Tasks
- Studies chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, and living energy changes, such as growth, aging, and death.
- Prepares reports and recommendations based upon research outcomes.
- Develops and tests new drugs and medications used for commercial distribution.
- Analyzes foods to determine nutritional value and effects of cooking, canning, and processing on this value.
- Cleans, purifies, refines, and otherwise prepares pharmaceutical compounds for commercial distribution.
- Designs and builds laboratory equipment needed for special research projects.
- Researches and determines chemical action of substances, such as drugs, serums, hormones, and food, on tissues and vital processes.
- Isolates, analyzes, and identifies hormones, vitamins, allergens, minerals, and enzymes, and determines their effects on body functions.
- Develops and executes tests to detect disease, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities.
- Develops methods to process, store, and use food, drugs, and chemical compounds.
- Examines chemical aspects of formation of antibodies and researches chemistry of cells and blood corpuscles.
- Researches methods of transferring characteristics, such as resistance to disease, from one organism to another.
Related Careers
- Biologists
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
- Food Science Technicians
- Microbiologists
- Soil Scientists
Important Abilities
- Inductive Reasoning
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Deductive Reasoning
- Information Ordering
General Work Activities
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Processing Information
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Consequence of Error
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
- Indoors
- Frustrating Circumstances
