Becoming a geneticist requires research into the industry and its specialties, high-level education in biology, math, chemistry, and physics, and a Ph.D. in biological sciences. Geneticists work in pharmaceutical and medical research companies, universities, and academic institutions. Academic geneticists may also work as professors and researchers.
Someone who wants to become a geneticist should research the industry and its three major specialties: population genetics, molecular genetics, and medical genetics. Population geneticists work to track patterns and abnormalities in human deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to determine which factors influence the development of certain traits. Molecular geneticists work to decode DNA to identify which genes control which traits; the role of these scientists is to provide new information that other scientists can use to develop treatments or cures for various diseases. People in medical genetics meet with patients with genetic disorders and work to provide treatment.
To become a geneticist, years of training in exact sciences are required. Most people who work as geneticists have a background in biology. Anyone considering becoming a geneticist should take high-level math, chemistry, physics, and biology courses. Those who want to become a geneticist to work with the public should also consider management and communication courses. This undergraduate education will prepare future genetics researchers to enter graduate school, where training for life as a geneticist really begins.
A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is required for almost all geneticists, regardless of their specialty. Medical geneticists also often hold medical degrees. Doctoral work to become a geneticist often requires training in the biological sciences. Training typically lasts seven to 10 years. During this time, people who train to become geneticists work as laboratory technicians and research assistants alongside established researchers.
After considerable training to become a geneticist, the transition to a full-time career begins. The most common employers for genetic engineers are pharmaceutical and medical research companies, colleges and universities. In private sector research companies, geneticists spend their time in laboratories working on finding information that will lead to the development of new drugs. Competition for these jobs and in this area of the industry is usually fierce, because a substantial amount of money is at stake based on what scientists discover.
Academic geneticists may find themselves doing the double duty of professors and researchers. As professors, these scientists will instruct undergraduate students in the biological sciences, whereas research in academic institutions generally consists of more theoretical work. So-called “basic” scientific research means that scientists explore and examine without a specific goal. Scientists trying to decode the human genome fall into this category of research. Academic geneticists don’t have any profit motives in mind, which allows them to focus on discovery.
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