Life Sciences

Life science researchers conduct the study of life and organisms. They focus on areas such as biomedical science, genomics, environmental science, plant & crop science etc. Life science researchers might work for academic institutions, research institutes, pharmaceuticals, the government or health authorities.

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Education

This is a graduate-level job. A bachelor’s degree in biology is necessary. Students tend to specialise in one area of life sciences such as botany, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry, physiology etc. Also, a relevant postgraduate degree (PhD/research-based MSc) is required for permanent positions like research assistants. Post-doctoral research and/or practical research/laboratory work experience is beneficial and frequently required for academic posts as well as in the private sector.

Knowledge and Tasks

Clinical researchers, for example, test the safety of new medicines by running a number of trials.
Biomedical scientists study the causes of diseases and work to find a cure for them.
Life Scientists conduct fieldwork, prepare written summaries, contribute to research publications, teach, present their findings in seminars or presentations, read journals and attend academic conferences.
The field requires a certain level of proficiency in mathematics.
Create research proposals to arrange for funding.
Work in multidisciplinary teams with researchers from other fields of academia.

Personality

Research scientists are naturally inquisitive. They have the capability to think beyond existing debates and find other creative explanations of the issue on hand. Their work requires analytical skills and an eye for detail.

Salary

Starting salary post master’s degree is between Rs. 2 lacs to Rs. 3 lacs per year. Experience has a moderate effect on pay for this job. People in this job generally don't have more than 20 years' experience.

Pros

Potential to get a high salary.
Can work in many different fields like education, health care, population structure, social care, unemployment etc.
Can work in the academic or private sector.

Cons

Salary varies widely depending on the field.
High-paying positions generally require industry experience.
A masters degree is mandatory to become a social scientist in any field

Top Institutes

India

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Abroad

Harvard University, United States
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Famous People

A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar

He pursued his education from Madras Christian College. He later went on to become the longest serving Vice-Chancellor of Madras University and principal of Madras Medical College. He was also the deputy leader of the Indian delegation to the First World Health Assembly in Geneva in 1948. He was elected as the chairman of the World Health Organization Executive Board in 1949 and 1950.

A. G. K. Gokhale

He is known for being the first to perform a successful human-to-human heart transplant and first successful lung transplant in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. He worked at Global hospitals for some time, where he performed many of his historic surgeries such as the first Heart Transplant and Minimal access cardiac surgeries.