|
Careers... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Biotechnology finds application, broadly, in the pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry and agriculture. The use and application of biotechnology span a wide range of activities from developing new varieties of seeds to improving livestock breeds, from creating neem-based pesticides to high-yielding tomato seeds, from little fish that clean up distillery effluents and earthworms that eat away at sewage to industrial enzymes that hasten the production processes. In the textile industry too biotechnology finds application such as when the stone-wash effect in jeans is produced by using enzymes, whereas in the food processing industry enzymes are used for tenderizing meat and for improving the extraction of juice from fruits by rupturing cell walls. The nature of work in the field of biotechnology is essentially scientific and research-oriented whether in research establishments run by government funds or in the R & D cells of the corporate sector. Well above average intelligence; ability to concentrate for long hours; an inquiring mind; imagination; capacity for original thought; perseverance; interest in acquiring knowledge beyond immediate requirement; organizing ability; ability for team work; methodical, practical approach to scientific problems; resourcefulness; and ability and willingness to get to the bottom of a problem.
Specialized training in biotechnology may commence after successfully completing plus two or equivalent examinations (in the science stream-physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology) only at the Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Kharagpur. At IIT, Delhi, an integrated five-year M Tech. Programme in biochemical engineering and biotechnology is offered; while at IIT, Kharagpur, an integrated M Tech. Programme of five and a half years in biotechnology is conducted. Admission to the IIT programmes is based on performance of the candidates in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) organized by all IITs. In this examination candidates' knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics of the level of plus two or equivalent is evaluated. The JEE is held usually in the month of May every year and the IITs announce the exact date about seven to eight months in advance. In the general way the study of biotechnology in the universities is taken up after completion of graduation. Eligibility for joining the biotechnology programmes in the universities is a graduate degree in the biological/physical/agricultural/veterinary science or in engineering/medicine or forestry/fisheries, with an aggregate of atleast 55 per cent in the qualifying examination. Many universities may fix higher qualifying aggregate marks between 60 per cent and 70 per cent. Selection is more probable for candidates with higher percentages and better academic records. Generally admission to the postgraduate course in biotechnology also requires getting selected in an entrance examination. The Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, holds a combined entrance examination (usually in May) every year for admission to M Sc. Biotechnology programmes at:
For M Sc. (agricultural biotechnology) at:
For M Tech. (biotechnology) at:
The Combined Entrance Examination is usually announced in March and the examination held in the month of May at about 30 places all over the country. The M.Tech. programme in biotechnology is also offered at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), New Delhi. Eligibility: M Sc. (biotechnology) courses are offered also at:
A post-M Sc. Course in the field is offered by the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh. Research facilities are available at:
Post-doctoral research facilities can be found at:
The potential in biotechnology is encouraging companies to strengthen their existing research and development operations to meet the growing demand for biotechnology products, state governments have also drawn up plans to develop biotechnology based industries. Post graduation/doctoral qualifications in biotechnology can lead to placements in pharmaceutical companies, in the chemical industry, in agriculture and allied industries as well as in research laboratories run by the government and the corporate sector. The multinational companies with the chemical industry following not far behind and they offer the best remuneration packages. The biotech business is growing at an accelerated rate and the number of companies in this business is multiplying fast. With biotechnology making itself lucrative to the Indian corporate sector, prospects of a career in this field are bright.
|
