As part of your day-to-day duties, you might:

• monitor, identify and help to control infectious diseases
• use molecular biology techniques to develop and test new medicines and treatments
• investigate how microorganisms produce antibodies, vaccines, hormones and other biotechnology products
• assess the use of microbes in food production, crop protection and soil fertility
• monitor the quality and safety of manufactured food and medical products
• use microorganisms to control pollution and dispose of waste safely

You might also:

• present research findings
• supervise the work of support staff
• carry out administrative tasks

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a university or in a laboratory.

You could move into lab management, research or teaching.

In the NHS you could progress to specialist, team manager and consultant.

You could also offer consultancy services in areas like pharmaceutical sales, publishing and law.