OVERVIEW

We all hate going to doctors who’d prescribe us bitter medicines for the smallest of disease we might catch, but have we ever wondered, who designs these medicines in the first place? From medicines to injections, from an x-ray to an MRI to simple eye drops, anything that relates to our biological functional maintenance and curing, involves biotechnology. Biotechnology is technological applications of biological systems and living organisms to make or modify products for use. It is a mix of biology and technology. Using biology to cure diseases that threaten humans, prevent crops from perishing and save species from illnesses is all part of the game for biotechnology engineers. This article will explain in detail what work Biotechnology Engineers do, how much they earn and how you can become a Biotechnology Engineer.

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO IN DIFFERENT CAREERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY?

With the field of Biotech engineering on a high rise, there are enormous opportunities for biotech engineers to work in with research being the most powerful one. Other than research a biotech engineer has to design, develop, test and maintain the products developed for the welfare of the humankind.

The versatility of biotechnology is evidenced by its innumerable applications. It can be categorised under 2 broad disciplines: Medical & Industrial Biotechnology and Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology.

Medical Biotechnology: Healthcare is our foremost concern and medical biotechnology offers tremendous scope for designing of novel drugs, production of vaccines, pharmaceutical recombinant proteins like insulin, somatostatin, somatotropin, and diagnostic products that help treat and prevent human diseases. Most medical biotechnologists work in academic or industrial surroundings.

Environmental Biotechnology: It encompasses old issues of ecology such as waste gas and water management, composting, hazardous soil pollutants, bio-magnification that are now addressed with biotechnological solutions involving microbes that envisage abiotic and biotic factors. It may be referred in the context of environmental protection since rapid urbanization and other developments have resulted in a polluted environment and depleted natural resources.

TOP GLOBAL COMPANIES WHICH HIRE BIOTECHNOLOGY ENGINEERS

KEY QUALITIES REQUIRED

Since Biotechnology Engineers deal with many non-technical people – their team members, people from other departments in their organization or people from different organizations, companies look for following qualities during recruitment:
Organization– Biotechnology Engineers oversee contractors and laborers. Being able to organize several people at once is importantvfor the success of Biotechnology Engineers job.
Patience– A lot of Biotechnology Engineering jobs require enormous field visits which can be tiring at times. A Biotechnology engineer must be patient in dealing with such cases.

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH CAREER IN BIOTECH

George Rathmann

An American Chemist, Biologist, Pioneer in Biotechnology and corporate executive. In 1980 he co-founded and served as the first CEO of Amgen, and later founded Icos

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

A pioneer of the biotechnology industry in India and the founder of the country’s leading biotechnology enterprise, Biocon As a global influencer, she is ranked among ‘World's 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma’ by Fierce Biotech

HOW TO PURSUE A CAREER IN BIOTECHNOLOGY?

Step 1 : Choose Science with Mathematics after 10th (PCM/PCB or can be both) and prepare for Engineering Entrance Exams
Most of the colleges require students to compulsorily take Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics during 10+2.
All engineering colleges in India admit students on the basis of competitive entrance exams – JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, MHT CET, ComedK as of February 2017. Currently, score in JEE Mains is also used by many States, (e.g., Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh etc) for admission to government and private engineering colleges at the state level.

Step 2 : Earn a Bachelor Degree
B.Tech Biotechnology Vs BSc Biotechnology

There is no such thing as B.Tech being better than BSc or vice versa. Students must choose a course that aligns with their long term goals. Do you want to pursue a research career in areas such as Stem Cells, Genetic Engineering, Plant Biotechnology, Molecular Biology etc.? If yes, choose BSc/MSc Biotechnology or BSc Biotechnology and MSc in any specialized field of Biotechnology. You can later on pursue your PhD if interested.
If you want to keep your options open, then go for B.Tech Biotechnology. Many B.Tech students who do not find / like jobs in biotech sector shift to software, management etc. So, this is an added bonus for biotech students and this kind of transition will be tougher with a BSc and MSc degree in Biotechnology.

EARN A MASTER’S DEGREE

• M.Phil. Biotechnology – Stands for Master of Philosophy in Biotechnology. Typically, an M.Phil. is two years post graduate degree, minimum eligibility for which is a M.Sc. in Biotechnology. The course offers superior quality training in the field of biotechnology. As a result, the students are prepared to fulfill the needs of biochemical and pharmaceutical industries for research and development.
• M.E.(Biotechnology)– Stands for Master of Engineering in Biotechnology. Typically, an M.E.(Biotechnology) is a two year course, minimum eligibility for which is a B.E. in Biotechnology.
• M.Tech(Biotechnology)– Stands for Master of Technology (Biotechnology). Typically, an
• M.Tech(Biotechnology)-is a two year course, minimum eligibility for which is a B.Tech (Biotechnology) or any relevant engineering degree with biotechnology as a subject.
• M.Sc (Biotechnology)-This is a very popular course where any graduate in biology or related sciences is eligible to apply. There are two major entrance exams for the course. The All India Biotechnology Entrance test conducted by JNU for admission to about 500 odd seats in the 32 university departments is the first major one. IITs admit students through a Joint Admissions Test for IITs. Most good private sector universities have their own independent examinations. While public sector schools are subsidized, and have very low fees, the private sector ones charge substantially higher fees.
• MBA (Biotechnology)-This is a recent entrant into the famous group of famed MBA degrees. It normally requires a candidate to have a bachelor degree in biological or related sciences. The degree might enable one to move into business functions in a biotech company with greater ease, since one has developed a certain understanding of the sector even before one has joined it. Institutions like NMIMS, Pune University offer such degrees.

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