Task statements

  • Examine the molecular or chemical aspects of immune system functioning.
  • Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences.
  • Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research.
  • Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology.
  • Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work.
  • Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of biological processes.
  • Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
  • Design or perform experiments with equipment, such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers.
  • Determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules.
  • Design or build laboratory equipment needed for special research projects.
  • Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes.
  • Study spatial configurations of submicroscopic molecules, such as proteins, using x-rays or electron microscopes.
  • Study the chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, or living energy changes, such as growth, aging, or death.
  • Study the mutations in organisms that lead to cancer or other diseases.
  • Research the chemical effects of substances, such as drugs, serums, hormones, or food, on tissues or vital processes.
  • Research transformations of substances in cells, using atomic isotopes.
  • Develop or execute tests to detect diseases, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities.
  • Develop or test new drugs or medications intended for commercial distribution.
  • Isolate, analyze, or synthesize vitamins, hormones, allergens, minerals, or enzymes and determine their effects on body functions.
  • Research how characteristics of plants or animals are carried through successive generations.
  • Prepare pharmaceutical compounds for commercial distribution.
  • Develop methods to process, store, or use foods, drugs, or chemical compounds.
  • Investigate the nature, composition, or expression of genes or research how genetic engineering can impact these processes.
  • Produce pharmaceutically or industrially useful proteins, using recombinant DNA technology.

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.