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Computational Biologist |
Career OverviewThe job duties of a computational biologist include combining the research base of biology with the mathematical language of computers to arrive at data that is both useful and important to researchers and others involved in various production and research facilities. The field itself is relatively new and the roles of computational biologists in different areas of the science vary somewhat depending on the type of research being completed.
Generally a computational biologist works mostly with computer models and databases to attempt to predict and determine what is happening mathematically with biological research. The focus with most computational biologist work is with DNA and genome sequencing that is believed to have a strong mathematical basis and predictability.
There is a wealth of information on diseases, conditions and even traits and human intelligence coming out of the genome and DNA research, and the computational biologist works to present the material in the correct fashion to make it useable for researchers and others.
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Career RequirementsA career as a computational biologist will require a minimum of a Masters and most likely a PhD requirement for education. The postgraduate work should be completed in a related field such as molecular biology or genetics, with a heavy emphasis on data interpretation and computer software and programming. In addition a background in computer programming and use of databases is highly recommended.
There are different areas of specialization for a computational biologist and more information about this emerging scientific area can be found at the International Society for Computational Biology, www.iscb.org.
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Job OutlookAn increase in focus on the fields of genetics and genome research in both medicine and other fields has lead to a strong demand for computational biologists. The level of training required as well as the expertise that is needed to complete this job has generated a large number of vacancies for trained computational biologists around the world.
Many research facilities and Universities are actively seeking post-doctoral computational biologists for tenured positions and full time faculty teaching positions.
The biotechnology industry as a whole continues to increase in employment opportunities on an ongoing basis. The United States Department of Labor anticipates that this movement will continue for at least the next ten years, if not longer.
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Career TrackA computational biologist with a PhD level training may be able to advance to independent research grant writing and development, upper management positions, consulting or even software development or marketing options. Often the computational biologists will work as the supervisor for the publication of scientific information and may become published in journals or other writing opportunities.
A computational biologist with a PhD level of training can often work on a contract basis and travel around the world working in a variety of settings and research facilities both nationally and internationally.
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CompensationAn entry level Masters or PhD level computational biologist can expect to earn between $61,000 and $78,000 depending on their areas of specialization and experience. Those PhD computational biologists with more than five years of experience often earn over $90,000 per year.
Private industry computational biologists earn more per year than those computational biologists hired by federal or state agencies.
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Computational Biologist Jobs- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Saturday, August 02, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Tuesday, August 05, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Thursday, August 07, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Saturday, August 09, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008
- Computational Biologist
Source: Lee Hecht Harrison Location: Niskayuna, NY Date Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008
- Computational biologist
Source: ISCB Location: Indianapolis Date Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2008
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