Geneticist

A Genetic Counselor

A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms.^[1]

Description

A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes or develop genetic technologies to aid in the pharmaceutical or and agriculture industries.^[1] Some geneticists perform experiments in model organisms such as Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, rodents or humans and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of biological traits. A geneticist can be a scientist who has earned a PhD in genetics or a physician who has been trained in genetics as a specialization. They evaluate, diagnose, and manage patients with hereditary conditions or congenital malformations, genetic risk calculations, and mutation analysis, as well as refer patients to other medical specialists. The geneticist carries out studies, tests and counsels patients with genetic disorders.

Geneticists participate in courses from many areas, such as biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, cell biology, bioinformatics, and mathematics. They also participate in more specific genetics courses such as molecular genetics, transmission genetics, population genetics, quantitative genetics, ecological genetics, and genomics.

Geneticists can work in many different fields, doing a variety of jobs. There are many careers for geneticists in medicine, agriculture, wildlife, general sciences, or many other fields.

Careers

Listed below are a few examples of careers a geneticist may pursue.

References