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Last Updated on May 25, 2022
The life sciences are a group of scientific disciplines that study living things, such as plants, animals, and people. Since they cover all kinds of living organisms, there are many different subfields within the life sciences. As technology advances within the life sciences, more and more jobs become available in this field. There are a variety of options if you want a career in life sciences.
1. Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a term that refers to the application of biological knowledge in order to develop technology and goods for improving our lives and the health of the environment.
Biotechnology, which is an exciting and rapidly growing field, has already made significant progress in curing diseases that were previously thought to be incurable, or provides new more effective ways of curing them. For example, the relatively recent breakthrough in the study of p pastoris has led to it being used in human insulin medication for treating diabetes. By applying biotechnology to agriculture, medicine, nutrition, animal husbandry, and other areas of activity – as well as developing new approaches to combat pandemic diseases – bioengineers are creating breakthrough products and technologies that have a global impact while still making improvements in our day to day lives as well.
As technology advances within the life sciences, more and more jobs become available in this field. There are a variety of options if you want a career in life sciences.Click To TweetThe field of biotechnology offers a wide range of job opportunities in the life sciences. It is important for biotechnology companies to have professionals who have different skills, ranging from research scientists and engineers to manufacturing employees, sales, marketing professionals, accountants, secretaries, and information technology workers – just to name a few.
2. Biochemistry
A career in biochemistry will allow you to work as a technical specialist in the food and beverage industry, or as a research scientist for medical companies that develop processes or products which are dependent on chemical reactions.
In this way, you can have an impact on people’s lives by improving their health and nutrition through scientific research. The two main aspects of a biochemistry career are research and manufacturing. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in this field, finding an internship that will provide you with relevant experience is a good idea. For example, you could work in a laboratory researching problems such as diseases caused by malnutrition, or work to improve the nutritional content of certain foods.
Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary science that combines both chemistry and biology. Roughly speaking, it can be divided into three categories: structural biology, enzymology, and metabolism. Depending on your interests, you can choose to pursue research in one of these areas.
3. Molecular Biology
Molecular biology is a scientific field that uses the tools of chemistry and genetics to study biological systems at the molecular level. This means that they are able to take molecules apart and put them back together again using techniques such as DNA sequencing, polymerase chain reaction, cloning, and immunochemistry.
Their work is applicable to areas that range from basic research in chemistry or biology, to applied science such as medical diagnostics, agriculture technology development, the study of disease vectors like mosquitoes and ticks, forensic analysis for crime investigations, bioterrorism preparedness, and others. The two main sub-disciplines within molecular biology are biochemical engineering and systems biology. As you can guess – there is a vast range of career options you can choose from when it comes to molecular biology.
The former is used in order to study biological mechanisms at the molecular level that will allow for process improvements in the fields of medicine, agriculture, or food technology. Systems biology, on the other hand, uses mathematical and computer models to study various biological processes such as those involving cells, proteins, or other molecular interactions.
4. Epidemiology
An important aspect of epidemiology is studying specific diseases in order to understand what factors are involved in their spread, how they’re transmitted, and ultimately developing new ways in which they can be diagnosed or fought.
As you can imagine – this may involve working with dangerous pathogens that require high levels of safety precautions. Given the current global developments, a lot more people are taking note of this life science. Epidemiology studies the effects that different risk factors have on the probability of developing certain diseases. In this way, they can work to prevent epidemics from occurring in the future, as well as curb the spread of an existing pandemic by implementing different measures in key places.
The career options available if you want a life sciences career in epidemiology are vast and varied. For example, you could choose to become a public health
5. Nutrition
Food is one of the most direct ways that humans impact their own health, which makes nutrition a popular life science field of study. The main idea behind nutritional science is to study food in order to understand how it contributes to the maintenance of human health by providing essential nutrients.
These are divided into two sub-categories: macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). The main idea in this field is that food can be used to maintain or improve health in humans. This study of food may involve working with different food products, learning about the nutritional qualities of foods like fruits and vegetables, preparing samples for study, or performing research in a laboratory environment.
On the other hand, if you’re more interested in working with people directly, you could choose to become a nutritionist. As the name suggests, nutritionists either work with individuals or communities in order to improve their diet and provide them will beneficial nutritional advice. Nutritionists are often required for clinical research studies, as they may be responsible for creating the diets that patients follow during their study period.
6. Genetics
Genetics is a very specific type of applied biology that studies the structure, function, evolution, and inheritance of genes. You might be thinking – what can genetics accomplish? Well, this field has led to many advancements in the fields of medicine, forensics, agriculture, and even biotechnology.
A career in genetics may involve studying various aspects of the genetic code, especially those that pertain to human traits and abilities. They may work either in a laboratory environment or with patients who have particular medical conditions.
While this is by no means an exhausting list of all the possibilities available to you if you want a career in life sciences, it does provide an idea of what you could explore. Remember that each one of these fields will involve different options for specialization, so it’s important that you think carefully about your skills and interests before moving forward with your academic journey. There are many education options available for people who want to work in life sciences, both at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. So if this is something that interests you, do some research and decide which path would be best for you. Good luck!
