Pomerantz Career Center

Biochemists study the most basic of life processes; for example, identifying the way in which DNA, which carries the genetic information, is transferred between cells and can be manipulated. The aim is to provide an understanding of every aspect of the structure and function of living things at the molecular level. It is a practical laboratory science that applies the molecular approaches of chemistry to the vast variety of biological systems. Biochemists work at all levels and with all types of biological organisms.

Biochemists work in many walks of life - in industry, hospitals, agriculture, research institutes, education and associated areas. There are many areas of everyday life which are researched and developed by biochemists, such as medical products and diagnostics, new food and its safety, crop improvement, cosmetics, and forensic science. An undergraduate degree is standard, and graduate work at the master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels is common, depending on the desired career path and research interests.