Jobs in Biotechnology

Employees with computer skills are needed in areas other than clinical trials. Bioinformatics is the use of computers to gain new information about DNA and proteins. Computers can compare DNA from different organisms. Based on a protein's shape, computers can predict how it will function in a cell. Computers can also analyze the observations and results from experiments. Humans can do many of these things, too, but computers are often faster, more accurate, and more efficient. Humans must still create the software that allows computers to do these things, however, and software designing is a thriving field.

Biotechnology companies hire people who know about both computers and biology to perform many different jobs. Some employees write software designed to gain information about DNA and proteins or to analyze data. Others create and update databases of biological information. Still others perform essential maintenance and repairs on the computers used in laboratories and elsewhere in the company. Education and interest in both biotechnology and computer science are important for these positions.