Know About Careers In Biology From An Expert

Areas Of Application

Some of the Biology jobs areas which require extensive application of Biology and offer careers in Biology to specialists of the subject are agriculture, animal husbandry, environmental sciences, industrial production, and healthcare.

Specialisations In Biological Sciences

As you graduate and wish to advance your knowledge, you may find yourself interested in any of the following specialisations for pursuing a career in Biology:-

• Molecular biology
• Neurobiology
• Parasitology
• Molecular Genetics and Genomics
• Cell Biology
• Immunology
• Microbial Pathogens
• Virology
• Plant cell culture and regeneration
• Developmental biology
• Cancer biology
• Molecular signaling
• Bioinformatics
• Endocrinology
• RNA Therapeutics
• Molecular evolution and origins of life

Biology Offers A Variety Of Specialisations To Those Interested In It

BSc Biotechnology

BSc Biotechnology is a very popular choice among students who want to undertake careers in Biology or related fields. There are nearly 720 biotechnology colleges in India which offer a BSc in Biotechnology. Out of these, 65% of the colleges are private, 19% are government, and the rest 16% are public-private colleges. Their admission process is via different entrance examinations.

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Emerging Applications Of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is an offshoot of Biology. Some emerging applications of Biotechnology in careers in Biology are:-

• Eco-genomic- environmental variations as determinants of genome organisation and function
• Socio-genomics
• Ex -vivo gene therapy
• Gene-editing
• 3-D printing to produce organoids and organs
• Bioethics
• Intellectual property rights

Skills You Shall Acquire

Biological Studies today have become very technology-intensive which in turn, makes them capital intensive. Some common skills that one acquires while pursuing careers in Biology today, with the techniques and methods that have come up are:-

• Cloning and expression of proteins of one’s choice
• Genome-wide gene expression profiling
• siRNA, MiRNA, and LNC RNA: Biology and applications
• Visualising associations
• Biomolecular structure modeling and experimental determination
• Bioinformatics, drug discovery and drug design
• Genomics, comparative and functional genomics, palaeogenomics
• Next generation sequencing
• Proteomics and metabolomics
• Confocal microscopy and live-cell imaging
• In-situ immunocytochemistry
• Cell sorting and flow cytometry
• Cryo-EM for viewing biomolecular structural dynamics
• Gene editing
• Viral reverse genetics for delivering vaccines and therapeutic molecules
• Stem cells for cell therapy
• Transgenic plants and animals
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in biological systems

While there are many institutions offering courses that lead to careers in Biology, the prospects of pursuing a supported higher studies in Biology still remain to be addressed. Most of the PhD pursuits are duly supported by fellowships offered by DST, DBT, CSIR, UGCICMR, ICAR etc. You may have to pass certain examinations like UGC-NET which entitle you to draw research fellowships and pursue careers in Biology and further get good Biology jobs . But for BSc and MSc, there are not many fellowships in India.

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Before you choose to take up higher studies in Biology, research the subject, the prospects it shall offer you, and then make an informed decision.