Career Opportunities in Biotechnology

[Md. Anikuzzaman]

The work of a biotechnologist is as diverse as the field they work in. It is predicted that biotechnology will be one of the most important applied sciences of the 21st century. Our graduates count as 'highly technically skilled' workers, i.e. professionals who can combine their knowledge of biology with technology. The combination of 'good brains and good hands' is high in demand on the job market. This is one of the reasons why the government is stimulating the choice for an exact-technical study programme, and employers keep looking for technically educated graduates.
During your studies, you will learn how to produce a vaccine. You can turn this into your job by developing new procedures in a research laboratory and implementing them as large-scale cell cultivation processes in a production facility.

How about forensic sciences? More and more cases are being solved with the help of molecular and chemical trace analysis. The first generation of our Forensic Sciences students graduated in 2010, and a large number of them were able to start working straight away! Their work environment varies from technical research and private investigation to work in DNA laboratories that fully focus on identification.

In the field of toxicology (detecting drugs and other toxic substances) there is also a big demand for specialised workers. As you can tell, a degree in Biotechnology opens a lot of different doors!

Biomedical Research
As a biomedical researcher, you work in the field of immunology and molecular genetics of people or animals. A lot of graduates were able to start working at the institute where they did their placement. Highly educated research analysts will always be in demand at university medical centres, the pharmaceutical industry and small-scale biomedical enterprises.

Biotechnology
By specialising in Biotechnology, your primary area of work will be the improvement or refinement of plants. 

Forensic Sciences
In the Netherlands, but also internationally, for example in the United States, the demand for versatile forensic specialists is growing. Not only the police and courts, but also insurance companies and lawyers make more and more use of forensic researchers. Besides forensic work you can also work as a biotechnologist or as a laboratory researcher.

Process Engineering
If you specialise in Process Engineering, you research how you can translate lab work into production. Efficiency, environmentally-friendly production and quality assurance are key aspects that need to be taken into consideration. As a chemical technologist, you can produce a new cholesterol-lowering kind of margarine or help develop a less noisy car tyre. You can also work at the management department of a company producing shaving products or perform quality checks. As a consultant, you advise enterprises on their energy consumption or coordinate the export of a cheese producer. As a researcher you can work in a laboratory or a factory, but also as an advisor at an engineering agency or at a research institute.

Water Technology
Water technology is a hot topic. Our Biotechnology study programme will teach you how you can communicate effectively in the water sector. You can work as a researcher, a manager or a consultant at a water board, a research agency or a consultancy. Your expertise in water technology will also enable you to work abroad and develop new technological, quality and management solutions in the international water sector.

Source: http://www.vhluniversity.com/vhl-studies/bachelor/biotechnology/career-opportunities.aspx