Summary Report

Updated 2003

Summary Report for:
19-1020.01 - Biologists

Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

Sample of reported job titles: Scientist, Environmental Analyst, Biologist, Environmental Specialist, Fisheries Biologist, Research Scientist, Aquatic Scientist, Marine Biologist, Environmental Scientist, Fish Culture Supervisor

View report: Summary Details Custom

Tasks

Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
Program and use computers to store, process and analyze data.
Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment.
Study aquatic plants and animals and environmental conditions affecting them such as radioactivity or pollution.
Communicate test results to state and federal representatives and general public.
Identify, classify, and study structure, behavior, ecology, physiology, nutrition, culture, and distribution of plant and animal species.
Prepare environmental impact reports for industry, government, or publication.
Represent employer in a technical capacity at conferences.
Plan and administer biological research programs for government, research firms, medical industries, or manufacturing firms.
Research environmental effects of present and potential uses of land and water areas, determining methods of improving environmental conditions or such outputs as crop yields.

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Benchtop centrifuges — Swinging bucket centrifuges

Microtomes — Ultramicrotomes

Robotic or automated liquid handling systems — Automatic pipetters; Liquid handling robots

Spectrophotometers — Ultraviolet UV visible spectrophotometers

Stereo or dissecting light microscopes — Dissecting microscopes; Zoom microscopes

Technology used in this occupation:

Analytical or scientific software — SPSS software; The Mathworks MATLAB; VayTek VoxBlast; Visual Molecular Dynamics VMD *

Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop software

Object or component oriented development software — Practical extraction and reporting language Perl; Sun Microsystems Java

Office suite software — Microsoft Office

Word processing software — Microsoft Word

* Software developed by a government agency and/or distributed as freeware or shareware.

Knowledge

Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Chemistry — Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Geography — Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills

Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Equipment Selection — Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Abilities

Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Work Activities

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Work Context

Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Electronic Mail — How often do you use electronic mail in this job?

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?

Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable — How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

Letters and Memos — How often does the job require written letters and memos?

Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Job Zone

Title	Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Overall Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Job Zone Examples	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, physicists, school psychologists, and surgeons.
SVP Range	(8.0 and above)
Education	A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Interests

Interest code: IR

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Work Styles

Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Work Values

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Related Occupations

19-1013.00	Soil and Plant Scientists
19-1021.00	Biochemists and Biophysicists
19-1022.00	Microbiologists
19-1023.00	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
19-2041.00	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Wages & Employment Trends

National

Median wages data collected from Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations.
Employment data collected from Biological Scientists.

Median wages (2007)	$26.59 hourly, $55,300 annual
Employment (2006)	87,000 employees
Projected growth (2006-2016)	Average (7% to 13%)
Projected need (2006-2016)	26,000 additional employees

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2007 wage data and 2006-2016 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2006-2016). "Projected need" represents job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Summary Report for: 19-1020.01 - Biologists