Research Scientist (Life sciences)

Research scientists that specialize in life sciences and work on commercial enterprises in the medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, food and beverage industries. They make hypotheses, collect data, and interpret results in order to answer questions about humans and the natural world. Research scientists work at colleges and universities, for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and private research and development companies.

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Education

You can only become a research scientist if you have a bachelor’s degree in a science subject. These scientific research experts tend to specialize in one area of life sciences, such as botany, zoology, biology, microbiology, biochemistry, physiology and biomedical sciences. A relevant postgraduate qualification (a PhD/research-based MSc) is also normally required, particularly for permanent positions. Post-doctoral research and/or practical research/laboratory work experience is also beneficial and frequently required for academic posts.

Knowledge and Tasks

Research scientists study and investigate specimens and scientific processes involved with the specific goals of the company.
Research scientists record, analyze and interpret data, providing evidence to support all conclusions, whether that be in the advancement of technology, creation of new commercial applications, processes or products or to increase scientific understanding.
Scientists may also conduct fieldwork, teach, publish papers, give findings in seminars or presentations, read journals and attend academic conferences.

Personality

Research scientists are naturally inquisitive. Their work requires analytical skills and attention to detail in order to design repeatable procedures and record results accurately. Research scientists report their findings in publications and oral presentations, requiring excellent communication and writing skills.

Salary

A Research Scientist earns an average salary of Rs 3,00,000-4,00,000 per year.

Pros

Potential to get a high salary.
Can work in many different fields such as medical, biological, environmental, computer and information.
Can work in the academic or private sector.
May advance the public understanding of scientific processes.
Above-average job growth (8% expected growth from 2014-2024).

Cons

Salary varies widely depending on the field.
High-paying positions generally require years of industry experience.
The job requires professional skills in many areas.

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 was the identical twin brother of Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar. He pursued his education from the prestigious 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. In the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. He worked at Global hospitals before this where he performed many of his historic surgeries such as the first Heart Transplant, and Minimal access to cardiac surgeries.