As a microbiologist, you will work with many other scientists and have a vast range of opportunities. Microbiologists work in almost every industry, for example, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, hospitals and have many different responsibilities. The following is a partial list of overlapping roles that you may have. You will collaborate with many other scientists. Depending on your specific situation, you may perform more than one function or role. Bacteriologist: Seek to answer basic questions about bacterial growth, metabolism, diversity, and evolution. Biochemist: Discover and teach us how organisms obtain energy, consume nutrients and reproduce. Biotechnologist: Manipulate genes in order to modify microorganisms. Their work produced novel organisms that make new products for human use. (i.e. insulin, medicine, grocery store items). Cell Biologists: Explore the actions of molecules on and in the cell. Their investigations determine how microorganisms and cell function. Clinical Microbiologist: Determine the cause of infections in humans and animals and what antimicrobials may be effective for treatment. They play a central role in the detection of new infectious agents. Environmental Scientists: Investigate the effects of biological, chemical, and geophysical activity on the environment. Their studies provide information necessary for helping humanity cope with the consequences of life. Geneticists: The language of life is written with four letters, A, C, G, and T. Each letter taken by itself is meaningless. But together the letter creates a code of life. Geneticists study the process by which organisms inherit and transmit genetic information. Immunologists: Investigate the body’s defense against disease and to answer basic questions about bacterial growth, metabolism, diversity, and evolution.
