NORTHWESTERN CAREER ADVANCEMENT

Industry|Employer

Job|Roles

Skills

Alumni

Research and Development
(Research Firms/
Universities)

Industry and laboratories:

• Pharmaceutical
• Healthcare

Agriculture
Colleges and universities
Food processing and safety
Private Research Institutions
Public health departments
Environmental
State and federal government:

• National Science Foundation
• National Institutes of Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Food and Drug Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Agriculture
• Armed Services
• Department of Homeland Security

Basic
Applied
Quality Control
Administration
Grant Writing

Flexibility
Cross functional teamwork
Analytical ability
Communication skills
Time and project management
Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)
Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

NIH, Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Geneva Laboratories, Microbiology Analyst
Center for Disease Control/Assoc. of Public Health Laboratories, Disease Training Fellow
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Research Assistant

Healthcare
(Hospitals/
Pharmaceutical Companies)

Group or private practice
Hospitals
Clinics
Health networks
Nursing homes
Rehabilitation centers
Mental health institutions
Federal, state, and local health departments
Government agencies
Armed services
Correctional facilities
Colleges or universities
Medical schools
Large corporations

Medicine
Dentistry
Optometry
Podiatry
Pharmacy
Veterinary Medicine
Allied Health:

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy

Medical Technology
Nuclear Medicine

Flexibility
Cross functional teamwork
Analytical ability
Communication skills
Time and project management
Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)
Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

University of Chicago, Feinberg, Rutgers, Cincinnati, MD/PhD Programs
Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Research Technician
Acadia, Masters Program in Genetic Counseling
UCSF, Dental School student
Pharmacy School
CityMD, Medical scribe
Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care Center in Deerfield, Immediate Care Technician
Northwestern Medical Group Emerging Infectious, Health Administration Intern

Biomedical Sciences
(Biomedical/
Genetic Testing/
Universities)

Colleges and universities
Professional schools: 

• colleges of pharmacy
• dentistry
• medicine
• veterinary medicine
• agriculture

Federal government:

• National Institutes of Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Food and Drug Administration

State and local public health departments
Clinics and hospitals
Private research foundations
Independent laboratories
Pharmaceutical companies

Biophysics
Biochemistry
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Genetics
Immunology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Virology

Flexibility

Cross functional teamwork

Analytical ability

Communication skills

Time and project management

Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)

Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

Feinberg Medical School, Clinical Research Coordinator

Cole Parmer, Product applications specialist

AbbVie, Microbiology Technician

Northwestern Medicine, Immediate Care Technician

Organismal/
Ecological Biology
(Biological/Zoos & Aquariums)

Colleges and universities, especially colleges of agriculture and veterinary medicine

Veterinary hospitals

State and federal government:

National Science Foundation

National Institutes of Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

Environmental Protection Agency

Department of Agriculture

Food production

Textiles

Agriculture

Pharmaceutical

Independent laboratories:

Zoos and aquariums

Fish hatcheries

Wildlife preserves and parks

Conservation agencies

Botanical gardens and arboretums

Museums

Agricultural experiment stations

Inspection agencies and control boards

National and international environmental organizations

Private recreation organizations

Structure, Function, Development, Evolution

Some Areas of Specialization:

• Botany
• Ecology:

Behavioral, community, ecosystem, evolutionary, population biology

Conservation Biology

Entomology

Marine Biology

Genetics

Microbiology:

• Bacteria, algae, fungi, molds, yeasts, viruses, protozoa

Taxonomy

Zoology

Flexibility

Cross functional teamwork

Analytical ability

Communication skills

Time and project management

Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)

Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

Zoo and Conservation Centre, Ardastra Gardens, Animal Curator

Chicago Botanic Garden, Manager of Teacher and Student Programs

Biotechnology

Biotechnology Companies:

• Agricultural chemicals

Food safety
Pharmaceutical
Medical device and equipment
Research and testing
Federal government:

• National Institutes of Health
• Food and Drug Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Agriculture

Plant propagation and production businesses
Colleges and universities

Medicine

Agriculture

Food Science

Biological Engineering

Bioremediation

Environmental Protection/Regulation

Flexibility

Cross functional teamwork

Analytical ability

Communication skills

Time and project management

Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)

Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

Associate Biologist, Coskata, Inc. (Biofuel Co.)

Microbiologist, Dental Technologies, Inc.

Bioinformatics

Colleges and universities
Private research foundations
Software development firms
Biotechnology companies:

• Agricultural chemicals
• Pharmaceutical
• Medical device and equipment
• Research and testing

Federal laboratories and regulatory agencies:

• National Institutes of Health
• Food and Drug Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Agriculture

Algorithm and Statistical Techniques

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Information Management

Organization and Retrieval

Flexibility

Cross functional teamwork

Analytical ability

Communication skills

Time and project management

Technical and design (for research and manufacturing roles)

Engineering coursework (for manufacturing based positions)

EPIC Systems, Verona, WI

CalicoLabs, Research Scientist, Bioinformatics,

Education
(Universities)

Public and private schools, K-12
Two-year community colleges/technical institutes
Four-year institutions
Professional schools:

• colleges of pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture

Museums
Zoos
Nature centers and parks

Teaching:

• Elementary
• Secondary
• Post-Secondary

Non-classroom Education

K-12: 

• Coordination
• public speaking
• critical thinking
• writing
• social perceptiveness
• complex problem solving.

Higher Ed:

• Research
• Writing
• critical thinking
• judgment and decision making
• presentations

University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Lecturer & Researcher, Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience

Northeastern Illinois University, Assistant Professor

Chicago Public Schools, Secondary Science Teacher