Activities	Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$59,300 per year in 2010
Work Context & 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.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Critical Thinking, Writing, Mathematics, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Science
Abilities	Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Written Expression
Interviews	Angela Atwood-Moore Nicole McNeil Faith Pangilinan

Job Category		Life, Physical, & Social Science
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.
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.
Salary Range		The median annual wage of microbiologists was $65,920 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,180, and the top 10 percent earned more than $115,720. In the Federal Government in May 2010, microbiologists earned an average annual salary of $94,96

Education Required		For biologists, the Ph.D. degree is usually necessary for independent research and for advancement to administrative positions. A master's degree is sufficient for some jobs in applied research or product development and for jobs in management, inspection, sales, and service. The bachelor's degree is adequate for some non-research jobs. Some graduates with a bachelor's degree start as biologists in testing and inspection, or get jobs related to biological science such as technical sales or service representatives. In some cases, graduates with a bachelor's degree are able to work in a laboratory environment on their own projects, but this is unusual. Some may work as research assistants. Others become biological technicians, medical laboratory technologists, or, with courses in education, high school biology teachers. Many with a bachelor's degree in biology enter medical, dental, veterinary, or other health profession schools. Most colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in biological science and many offer advanced degrees. Curricula for advanced degrees often emphasize a subfield such as microbiology or botany, but not all universities offer all curricula. Advanced-degree programs include classroom and fieldwork, laboratory research, and a thesis or dissertation. Biologists who have advanced degrees often take temporary postdoctoral research positions that provide specialized research experience. In private industry, some may become managers or administrators within biology, others leave biology for nontechnical managerial, administrative, or sales jobs.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physics
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
Certification and Licensing		None

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Creativity Try out your own ideas. Independence Work alone. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Autonomy Plan work with little supervision. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Mathematics Use math to solve problems. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Written Expression Able to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Related Jobs		Biologist, Environmental Health Scientist, Biologist, Microbiologist, Biophysicist
Job Outlook		Employment of biological scientists is projected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations although there will continue to be competition for some basic research positions. Employment of biological scientists is projected to grow 13 percent over the 2010—20 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations, as biotechnological research and development continues to drive job growth. Biological scientists enjoyed very rapid employment gains over the past few decades—reflecting, in part, the growth of the biotechnology industry. The Federal Government funds much basic research and development, including many areas of medical research that relate to biological science. Recent budget increases at the National Institutes of Health have led to large increases in Federal basic research and development expenditures, with research grants growing both in number and in dollar amount. At the same time, the number of newly trained scientists has continued to increase at least as fast as available research funds, so both new and established scientists have experienced difficulty winning and renewing research grants. Much of the basic biological research done in recent years has resulted in new knowledge, including the isolation and identification of genes. Biological scientists will be needed to take this knowledge to the next stage, which is the understanding how certain genes function within an entire organism, so that medical treatments can be developed to treat various diseases. Even pharmaceutical and other firms not solely engaged in biotechnology use biotechnology techniques extensively, spurring employment increases for biological scientists. For example, biological scientists are continuing to help farmers increase crop yields by pinpointing genes that can help crops such as wheat grow worldwide in areas that currently are hostile to the crop. Continued work on chronic diseases should also lead to growing demand for biological scientists. Biologists and medical scientists are less likely to lose their jobs during recessions than are those in many other occupations because many are employed on long-term research projects. However, a recession could further influence the amount of money allocated to new research and development efforts, particularly in areas of risky or innovative research. A recession could also limit the possibility of extension or renewal of existing projects.
More Information		Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, American Institute of Biological Sciences
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Microbiologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/microbiologists.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/19-1020.01