Bioanalysis Jobs -what careers are out there?
Bioanalysis jobs
What are the roles and responsibilities of bioanalysis jobs. How can you get one?
Do you enjoy maths and science? Would you like to spend your time in a laboratory setting working on complex chemical problems? If these questions grab your interest perhaps bioanalysis jobs could be for you.
Bioanalysis jobs require you to characterise biological processes and use the findings for detection of diseases (cancer, alzheimers etc). You could even be involved in the development of new life saving drugs. A range of responsibilities are included in bioanalysis jobs, examples being evaluating immune responses or tracking biomarker changes. The extensive career progression available make bioanalysis jobs a challenging choice; expect to oversee teams of scientists, collaborate with industry and academia as well as working closely with regulatory bodies.
The use of analytical instrumentation is a huge part of bioanalysis jobs. You are most likely to be using LCMS(MS) and/or GCMS on a daily basis along with a wide range of sample preparation techniques. Sample groups are also something to bare in mind, they are not for the faint hearted-saliva, urine and skin samples to name but a few!
If the above doesn’t put you off, how can you get into bioanalysis jobs? To be honest roles like this often require a further degree (doctorate etc) but a strong background in chemistry, environmental chemistry or molecular medicine would stand you in good stead. Courses to consider studying would be spectroscopy, biochemistry and molecular dynamics. By far and away though, bioanalysis jobs need you to have the ability to validate analytical methods, perform biological assays and identify and quantify chemical compounds.
So once you have gained all this knowledge, now is the time for you to put it into practice but what is the likelyhood of you securing a bioanalysis job? While it has been reported that the employment level in chemistry/materials science jobs generally is falling, bioanalysis jobs are actually increasing. Now is the time to get into this sector! Daily we are seeing an increase in the demand for both junior bioanalytical scientists and more experienced positions. It is definitely worth considering bioanalysis jobs for your future.