Job Duties Custom List 19-1022.00 — Microbiologists
- Research use of bacteria and microorganisms to develop vitamins, antibiotics, amino acids, grain alcohol, sugars, and polymers.
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- Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes.
- Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques.
- Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
- Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
- Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
- Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.
- Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas.
- Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.
- Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.
- Train new employees on topics such as the proper operation of laboratory equipment.
- Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results.
- Order and inventory materials to maintain supplies.
- Operate experimental pilot plants, assisting with experimental design.
- Direct or monitor other workers producing chemical products.
- Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.
- Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products.
- Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes.
- Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques.
- Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
- Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
- Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
- Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
- Conduct quality control tests.
- Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.
- Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests.
- Confer with scientists or engineers to conduct analyses of research projects, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests.
- Evaluate laboratory safety procedures to ensure compliance with standards or to make improvements as needed.
- Direct, coordinate, or advise personnel in test procedures for analyzing components or physical properties of materials.
- Purchase laboratory supplies, such as chemicals, when supplies are low or near their expiration date.
- Study effects of various methods of processing, preserving, or packaging on composition or properties of foods.
- Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.
- Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
- Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
- Develop manufacturing, assembly, and fabrication processes of lasers, masers, infrared, and other light-emitting and light-sensitive devices.
- Develop standards of permissible concentrations of radioisotopes in liquids and gases.
- Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
- Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
- Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
- Write research proposals to receive funding.
- Teach physics to students.
- Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
- Conduct research pertaining to potential environmental impacts of atomic energy-related industrial development to determine licensing qualifications.
- Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena.
- Develop theories and laws on the basis of observation and experiments, and apply these theories and laws to problems in areas such as nuclear energy, optics, and aerospace technology.
- Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
- Conduct application evaluations and analyze results to determine commercial, industrial, scientific, medical, military, or other uses for electro-optical devices.
- Advise authorities of procedures to be followed in radiation incidents or hazards, and assist in civil defense planning.
- Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
- Develop manufacturing, assembly, and fabrication processes of lasers, masers, infrared, and other light-emitting and light-sensitive devices.
- Develop standards of permissible concentrations of radioisotopes in liquids and gases.
- Participate in all levels of bioproduct development, including proposing new products, performing market analyses, designing and performing experiments, and collaborating with operations and quality control teams during product launches.
- Develop guidelines for procedures such as the management of viruses.
- Maintain accurate laboratory records and data.
- Design molecular or cellular laboratory experiments, oversee their execution, and interpret results.
- Write grant applications to obtain funding.
- Perform laboratory procedures following protocols including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, cloning and extraction, ribonucleic acid (RNA) purification, or gel electrophoresis.
- Conduct research on cell organization and function, including mechanisms of gene expression, cellular bioinformatics, cell signaling, or cell differentiation.
- Prepare or review reports, manuscripts, or meeting presentations.
- Instruct undergraduate and graduate students within the areas of cellular or molecular biology.
- Direct, coordinate, organize, or prioritize biological laboratory activities.
- Compile and analyze molecular or cellular experimental data and adjust experimental designs as necessary.
- Evaluate new technologies to enhance or complement current research.
- Provide scientific direction for project teams regarding the evaluation or handling of devices, drugs, or cells for in vitro and in vivo disease models.
- Supervise technical personnel and postdoctoral research fellows.
- Monitor or operate specialized equipment, such as gas chromatographs and high pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers.
- Conduct applied research aimed at improvements in areas such as disease testing, crop quality, pharmaceuticals, and the harnessing of microbes to recycle waste.
- Develop assays that monitor cell characteristics.
- Coordinate molecular or cellular research activities with scientists specializing in other fields.
- Verify all financial, physical, and human resources assigned to research or development projects are used as planned.
- Evaluate new supplies and equipment to ensure operability in specific laboratory settings.
- Design databases, such as mutagenesis libraries.
- Confer with vendors to evaluate new equipment or reagents or to discuss the customization of product lines to meet user requirements.
- Participate in all levels of bioproduct development, including proposing new products, performing market analyses, designing and performing experiments, and collaborating with operations and quality control teams during product launches.
- Develop guidelines for procedures such as the management of viruses.
- Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications.
- Conduct research on the structures and properties of materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and ceramics, to obtain information that could be used to develop new products or enhance existing ones.
- Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics.
- Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials.
- Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
- Perform experiments and computer modeling to study the nature, structure, and physical and chemical properties of metals and their alloys, and their responses to applied forces.
- Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments.
- Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
- Test metals to determine conformance to specifications of mechanical strength, strength-weight ratio, ductility, magnetic and electrical properties, and resistance to abrasion, corrosion, heat, and cold.
- Write research papers for publication in scientific journals.
- Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs.
- Supervise and monitor production processes to ensure efficient use of equipment, timely changes to specifications, and project completion within time frame and budget.
- Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information.
- Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met.
- Teach in colleges and universities.
- Research methods of processing, forming, and firing materials to develop such products as ceramic dental fillings, unbreakable dinner plates, and telescope lenses.
- Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications.
- Develop or test new drugs or medications intended for commercial distribution.
- 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.
- Isolate, analyze, or synthesize vitamins, hormones, allergens, minerals, or enzymes and determine their effects on body functions.
- Examine the molecular or chemical aspects of immune system functioning.
- 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.
- Develop or test new drugs or medications intended for commercial distribution.
