| Job Category |  | Life, Physical, & Social Science |
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| Job Description | | Many biologists work in research and development. Some conduct basic research to advance knowledge of living organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and other infectious agents. Past research has resulted in the development of vaccines, medicines, and treatments for cancer and other diseases. Basic biological and medical research continues to provide the building blocks necessary to develop solutions to human health problems, and to preserve and repair the natural environment.
Biologists work independently in private industry, university, or government laboratories, often exploring new areas of research or expanding on specialized research started in graduate school. Those who are not wage and salary workers in private industry typically submit grant proposals to obtain funding for their projects. Colleges and universities, private industry, and federal government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, contribute to the support of scientists whose research proposals are determined to be financially feasible and have the potential to advance new ideas or processes.
Those who conduct research usually work in laboratories and use electron microscopes, computers, thermal cyclers, and a wide variety of other equipment. Some conduct experiments using laboratory animals or greenhouse plants. Some biologists in managerial or administrative positions, usually after spending some time doing research and learning about the firm, agency, or project. They may plan and administer programs for testing foods and drugs, for example, or direct activities at zoos or botanical gardens. Some work as consultants to business firms or to government, while others test and inspect foods, drugs, and other products.
Most biologists are further classified by the type of organism they study or by the specific activity they perform, although recent advances in the understanding of basic life processes at the molecular and cellular levels have blurred some traditional classifications. For instance, aquatic biologists study plants and animals living in water, biochemists study the chemical composition of living things, botanists study plants and their environment, microbiologists investigate the growth and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, or fungi, physiologists study life functions of plants and animals, both in the whole organism and at the cellular or molecular level, and biophysicists study the application of principles of physics, such as electrical and mechanical energy and related phenomena, to living cells and organisms. |
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| Working Conditions | | Biologists usually work regular hours in offices or laboratories. Their work is exacting and detail-oriented, and it's very important that they complete each task they start. They are usually not exposed to unsafe or unhealthy conditions. Those who work with dangerous organisms or toxic substances in the laboratory must follow strict safety procedures to avoid contamination.
Many biologists such as botanists, ecologists, and zoologists take field trips that involve strenuous physical activity and primitive living conditions. Some biologists and medical scientists depend on grant money to support their research. They may be under pressure to meet deadlines and conform to rigid grant-writing specifications when preparing proposals to seek new or extended funding. |
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| Salary Range | | Median annual earnings of $53,010 per year in 2006.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, beginning salary offers in 2007 averaged $34,953 a year for bachelor’s degree recipients in biological and life sciences.
In the Federal Government in 2007, general biological scientists earned an average salary of $72,146; microbiologists, $87,206; ecologists, $76,511; physiologists, $100,745; geneticists, $91,470; zoologists, $110,456; and botanists, $67,218. |
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