BIOCHEMIST

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Research or study chemical composition and processes of living organisms that affect vital processes such as growth and aging to determine chemical actions and effects on organisms such as the action of foods, drugs, or other substances on body functions and tissues.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Studies chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, and living energy changes, such as growth, aging, and death.
• 2) Researches methods of transferring characteristics, such as resistance to disease, from one organism to another.
• 3) Examines chemical aspects of formation of antibodies, and researches chemistry of cells and blood corpuscles.
• 4) Develops and executes tests to detect disease, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities.
• 5) Develops and tests new drugs and medications used for commercial distribution.
• 6) Design and build laboratory equipment needed for special research projects.
• 7) Analyzes foods to determine nutritional value and effects of cooking, canning, and processing on this value.
• 8) Cleans, purifies, refines, and otherwise prepares pharmaceutical compounds for commercial distribution.
• 9) Prepares reports and recommendations based upon research outcomes.
• 10) Develops methods to process, store, and use food, drugs, and chemical compounds.
• 11) Isolates, analyzes, and identifies hormones, vitamins, allergens, minerals, and enzymes, and determines their effects on body functions.

Activities:

• 1) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 2) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 3) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 4) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 5) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 6) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 7) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 8) Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• 9) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 10) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 11) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 12) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 13) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 14) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 15) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 16) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 17) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 18) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 19) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Abilities:

• 1) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 2) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 3) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 4) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 5) 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).
• 6) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 7) 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.
• 8) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 9) Memorization — The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

Knowledge:

• 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.
• Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.