Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture,
food science, and medicine. Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering
technology of the 21st century. Engineering in biotechnology is the science upon
which all biotechnological applications are based. With the development of new approaches
and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new
horizons enabling them to improve the quality of their products and increase the
productivity of their systems.
Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences such as genetics, microbiology,animal
cell culture,molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology and cell biology. A biotechnology
Engineer, at the entry level, is responsible for the design, development, modifications
to, and enhancements of existing products and processes. The position is involved
in new product scale-up, process optimization, technology transfer, and process
validation. He or she ensures that processes and design implementations are consistent
with good labor and manufacturing practices. A biotechnology engineer may also be
responsible for contact with outside vendors and for the administration of contracts
to accomplish goals. A Biotech Engineer should -
* Be well versed in techniques such as DNA-extraction, protein purification, chromatography
and should be able to handle other complicated equipments
* Possess knowledge of bio-informatics tools and procedures such as BLAST, FASTA,
protein mapping and 3Dmodelling
* Possess knowledge of detailed microbiological experiments
* Be responsible for analyzing data, performing detailed experiments and interpreting
results
* Prepare technical reports, summaries, protocols, and quantitative analyses
Most significantly, a biotech engineer should have minimum 3-4 years of experience
in the domain of biotechnology.