Career opportunities
A PhD in biochemistry opens doors to a wide variety of careers.
After earning a doctorate, a biochemist from MU can pursue a postdoctoral fellowship here or in another institution. Many find careers in academic settings, leading groundbreaking research projects and educating future generations of scientists.
While many biochemists work in traditional laboratory and research environments, others find career opportunities in fields ranging from business and sales to consulting and law.
Biochemists work in biotechnology companies, such as Amgen and Genentech, and pharmaceutical companies, such as Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc. Employed in agricultural-industrial companies including Cargill, Monsanto and Novartis, biochemists develop new varieties of crops that resist drought, produce pharmaceutical compounds or tolerate herbicide application.
Career options
Private-sector employers
Discoveries about the fundamental compositions of living tissues have provided industries with new building blocks from which to construct or modify materials and products. Biochemists work in:
- Biotechnology firms
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Chemical manufacturing companies
- Cosmetic manufacturers
- Crime labs
- Hospitals
- Medical instrument companies
- Publishing companies
- Research firms and development labs
- Beverage breweries
- Law firms
Public-sector employers
The infusion of biotechnology in our daily lives has created a demand for biochemists to both conduct research in the field and educate others about new developments. Biochemists work in:
- Scientific laboratories
- Agricultural entities
- Fisheries
- Hospitals
- Colleges and universities
- Forensic labs
- Overseas development agencies
- Public health laboratories
- National blood services
- Cancer research institutes
- Pollution control agencies
Government agencies
State and federal agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Missouri Department of Agriculture employ biochemists in many capacities, such as researching biological alternatives for reclaiming sites contaminated with radioactive material or searching for ways to protect against food-borne pathogens. Biochemists work for:
- Centers for Disease Control
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Defense
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Interior
- Drug Enforcement Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Food and Drug Administration
- National Cancer Institute
