Career Path Forecast
 According to the
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
biological scientists can expect to face competition for jobs. After a
recent period of rapid expansion in research funding, moderate growth in
research grants should drive average employment growth over the next
decade. Employment of biological scientists is projected to grow 9
percent over the 2006-16 decade, about as fast as the average for all
occupations, as biotechnological research and development continues to
drive job growth.
The Federal Government funds much basic research and development,
including many areas of medical research that relate to biological
science. Recent budget increases at the National Institutes of Health
have led to large increases in Federal basic research and development
expenditures, with research grants growing both in number and dollar
amount. Nevertheless, the increase in expenditures has slowed
substantially and is not expected to match its past growth over the
2006-16 projection period. This may result in a highly competitive
environment for winning and renewing research grants.
 Biological
scientists enjoyed very rapid employment gains since the 1980s --
reflecting, in part, the growth of biotechnology companies. Employment
growth should slow somewhat, as fewer new biotechnology firms are
founded and existing firms merge or are absorbed by larger biotechnology
or pharmaceutical firms. Some companies may conduct a portion of their
research and development in other lower-wage countries, further limiting
employment growth. However, much of the basic biological research done
in recent years has resulted in new knowledge, including the isolation
and identification of genes. Biological scientists will be needed to
take this knowledge to the next stage, which is the understanding how
certain genes function within an entire organism, so that medical
treatments can be developed to treat various diseases. Even
pharmaceutical and other firms not solely engaged in biotechnology use
biotechnology techniques extensively, spurring employment increases for
biological scientists. For example, biological scientists are continuing
to help farmers increase crop yields by pinpointing genes that can help
crops such as wheat grow worldwide in areas that currently are hostile
to the crop. Continued work on chronic diseases should also lead to
growing demand for biological scientists.
 In addition, efforts to discover new and improved ways to clean up and
preserve the environment will continue to add to job growth. More
biological scientists will be needed to determine the environmental
impact of industry and government actions and to prevent or correct
environmental problems such as the negative effects of pesticide use.
Some biological scientists will find opportunities in environmental
regulatory agencies, while others will use their expertise to advise
lawmakers on legislation to save environmentally sensitive areas. New
industrial applications of biotechnology, such as new methods for making
ethanol for transportation fuel, also will spur demand for biological
scientists.
There
will continue to be demand for biological scientists specializing in
botany, zoology, and marine biology, but opportunities will be limited
because of the small size of these fields. Marine biology, despite its
attractiveness as a career, is a very small specialty within biological
science.
 Doctoral degree holders are expected to face competition for basic
research positions. Furthermore, should the number of advanced degrees
awarded continue to grow, applicants for research grants are likely to
face even more competition. Currently, about 1 in 4 grant proposals are
approved for long-term research projects. In addition, applied research
positions in private industry may become more difficult to obtain if
increasing numbers of scientists seek jobs in private industry because
of the competitive job market for independent research positions in
universities and for college and university faculty.
Prospective marine biology students should be aware that those who would
like to enter this specialty far outnumber the very few openings that
occur each year for the type of glamorous research jobs that many would
like to obtain. Almost all marine biologists who do basic research have
a Ph.D.
 People
with bachelor's and master's degrees are expected to have more
opportunities in nonscientist jobs related to biology. The number of
science-related jobs in sales, marketing, and research management is
expected to exceed the number of independent research positions.
Non-Ph.D.s also may fill positions as science or engineering technicians
or as medical health technologists and technicians. Some become high
school biology teachers.
Biological scientists are less likely to lose their jobs during
recessions than are those in many other occupations because many are
employed on long-term research projects. However, an economic downturn
could influence the amount of money allocated to new research and
development efforts, particularly in areas of risky or innovative
research. An economic downturn also could limit the possibility of
extension or renewal of existing projects.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by
the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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