print this page font size: A A A

What sort of jobs/careers can be undertaken with this degree?
Medical biotechnologists can be employed in R&D departments/quality control divisions/commercial divisions of pharmaceutical, fermentation, food science industries. This area of expertise can also be utilised in agricultural, supplementary diets, healthcare technology and environmental industries, hospitals, universities/colleges and writing/journalism.

In Malaysia employment opportunities can be found in both public and private hospitals and universities, research organisations like PORIM, SIRIM, CARIF, INFORMM, IMR etc or multinationals like GSK, Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca and the agrobio industry. Employment
opportunities are also available abroad for example in neighbouring Singapore, Australasia, Europe and United States of America where the biotechnology industry is in need of a skilled work force.

 

INDUSTRY AREAS OF WORK
Healthcare
  • Innovative drugs - development of various medicines, vaccines and diagnostics
  • Diagnostics - diagnostic and detection kits for AIDS, hepatitis, Nipah virus & SARS etc
  • Gene therapy and stem cell research
Forensics
  • DNA fingerprinting for crime solving
  • Paternity identification
Bioinformatics
  • Human Genome Project
  • Rice Genome Project
Industrial & environment
  • Production of industrial enzymes, biopesticides, bioherbicides and biofertilisers.
  • Treatment of heavy metal wastes in the environment
  • Development of wastes bioremediation process
  • Developing new products and processes for the manufacture of food
Agriculture
  • Molecular marker assisted breeding
  • Using genetic engineering and genome mapping (trying to locate genes) to improve crop production or crop resistance to pests and diseases
  • Plants producing pharmaceuticals & plants with value added traits - high sugar tomato, vitamins enriched rice, canola with improved oils etc