Biochemistry
Deciding on your Career
Choosing a career after university can extremely difficult
and any long-term decisions should not be made lightly.
While some people have already planned a career even
before arriving at university, others will have only a
vague idea of what they intend to do, or perhaps even no
idea at all. When choosing a career, the first thing to
consider is yourself. What are your career goals? Where
do your interests lie? What are the skills you will be
taking with you into the workplace?
There are resources available on our website for help
deciding ‘what next?’ including Psychometric Tests at:
www.nuigalway.ie/careers/students/careerinfo.html .
Your acquired skills and the employment market
Possible Career Opportunities
Clinical
Biochemist
Quality Control
Technician
Technical Writer
Laboratory
Analyst
Forensic
Scientist
Teacher
Scientific Sales
Research
Assistant
Clinical Trials
Associate
Scientific
Publishing
Regulatory
Affairs
Patent Agent
Note: Further qualifications may be needed for certain
positions. This list is a sample representation of positions
available.
Up to 40% of graduate employment opportunities are
open to graduates of all disciplines. In some cases,
however you will need further postgraduate study or
professional training.
Skills gained include:
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Knowledge & technical skills
Analysis / analytical thinking
Problem solving
Teamwork
Ability to work accurately in an organised manner.
The ability to carry out a written methodology in a
laboratory context
Data gathering skills; data validation, analysis and
interpretations skills
Numeracy skills
Communication (written & oral) skills
Biochemistry graduates can be employed in many
industries such as: healthcare, manufacturing &
processing, biomedical, pharmaceutical, food & beverage,
agricultural and biotechnology.
There are also many openings in the public service
(hospitals, blood transfusion board, universities etc).
The skills gained while studying Biochemistry are also
useful in many diverse areas such as journalism,
marketing, finance and patent work.
Because Biochemistry is a research based discipline,
many graduates continue on to postgraduate study or
research.
Sample Job Advertisements
Some jobs advertised recently that may suit students /
graduates (these jobs are not currently available and are
shown here for illustration purposes only).
QC Biochemist, Genzyme, Waterford. Provide analytical
services, audit test results to ensure compliance with
cGLP, assist with training technicians, ensure quality
documents and records complete.
Patent Examiner, European Patent Office. Daily work
combines scientific expertise with analytical research and
an eye for the legal aspects of intellectual property.
Candidates must meet the following formal requirements:
Citizenship of one of the member states of the EPO. Full
university degree in physics, chemistry, engineering or
natural sciences.
EMEA Operations Graduate Development Program,
Baxter Healthcare. A 3 year rotational program, with at
least one international rotation. Requirements include:
Degree in Science or Engineering.
Laboratory Assistant – Medical Clinical Sample
Reception and Analysis, SCI Recruitment UK.
Knowledge of and/or qualifications in biochemistry or
sample screening for drugs/ alcohol.
Further study opportunities
Information resources available to you
For certain career choices, employers may look for
candidates with further qualifications and training.
Reference material in the Information Room includes:
 Job Sector files ‘V’ including Science in industry and
Science in the public sector.
 Careers with a degree in Science –book
 New Scientist magazine (and graduate special)
Some of the courses chosen by graduates in the past at
NUI Galway (www.nuigalway.ie/courses) were:
 Professional Diploma in Education (now Professional
Masters of Education)
 MSc Biomedical Science
 Master of Science (Regenerative Medicine)
 MSc (Cancer Research)
 PhD
 Higher Diploma In Business Studies
Other courses taken by graduates were:
 MSc Bioinformatics with Systems Biology, UCC
 Masters of Biomedical Diagnastics, DCU
 PhD, Canada
 PGDip Dietetics, University of Chester
 Masters in Business, TCD
 Bachelor of Veterinary Science, UK
 Master of Public Health, UCD
 MSc in Medical Genetics, University of Glasgow
We also have a range of titles to reference on taking
psychometric tests, going for interview, writing a CV or
personal statement… and much more.
Drop into our information room and we will be happy to
assist you – there’s no need to book an appointment to
browse through our resources.
Be sure and pick up our free booklets ‘Your CV’ and
‘Interview Skills’.
www.nuigalway.ie/conversion covers conversion courses
at NUI Galway and also links to full time, online and part
time courses.
The website www.postgradireland.com contains useful
information on postgraduate courses in Ireland,
www.prospects.ac.uk is an excellent site for researching
opportunities in the UK and http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/
covers the EU.
What past graduates have done
It is always interesting to know what fellow graduates
have done after obtaining their degree at NUI Galway.
Here is a sample of job titles and employers occupied by
past students who studied Biochemistry. This has been
taken from our graduate survey which takes place 6
months after graduation.
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Internship-Quality Control Chemistry Laboratory,
Hygeia Chemicals
Laboratory Assistant, Tullamore
Lab technician, Alcantral Laboratories
Cancer research, Cambridge Uni Hospital Research
Institute
R&D Chemist, Beckham Coulter
Working, STEIFL Labs Sligo
Diagnostic Technologist, Abbott Diagnostic,
Longford
Lab work, Kelly Ingredients, Kerry
Lab technician, Shannon Minerals, Limerick
Developing international markets, Carbery Foods,
Cork
QC Analyst, Genentix, Tullamore
Useful websites
We have found that the following websites contain
relevant and interesting information on opportunities with
a degree in Biochemistry.
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www.nuigalway.ie/careers
www.nuigalway.ie/biochemistry/
http://gradireland.com/career-sectors/scienceresearch-and-development
www.acbi.ie Association of Clinical Biochemists in
Ireland (ACBI)
www.newscientistjobs.com/graduate/
Abroad
 www.prospects.ac.uk/options_biochemistry.htm
 www.societyofbiology.org/careers-andcpd/careers/career-resources/next-steps
 www.acb.org.uk/
 www.biochemsoc.org.uk Biochemical Society
 www.biochemist.org/ Magazine from the
Biochemical Society
 www.eddnal.com/directory/choice.php (European
Directory of Diagnostic Laboratories)
 www.biochemistry.org/Education/Careers.aspx
 www.asbmb.org/Page.aspx?id=264
 http://biosciencecareers.wordpress.com/
 http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/
 http://dev.sciencecareerpathways.com/home/