As of now my plan is to get a B.S. in chemical engineering and then a M.S. in Biomedical engineering or something similar. I’m not sure if medical researcher is the best description for what I want to do. I’d like to be someone who works in a lab or somewhere similar that does research on viruses, diseases, etc, as well as developing vaccines, cures, medicine, etc. I have not done an extensive amount of research, but I am most interested in pursuing a career in such a field. Any help or advice is appreciated.
Get involved in research. Get a student job or volunteer in a lab.
Luckily I was able to get a position as “Intern Chemist” at an aerospace company owned by Lufthansa, but I was unable to get anything in the medical field. I live in Los Angeles. Any ideas of where I can find good opportunities? @JustOneDad
Really? What did you do at the Lufthansa internship?
Are you in college now and where?
I assist and run analysis on different chemical baths that are used in electroplating. It’s fairly simple titrations just to make sure that the baths meet regulations. I am working there now. It’s called Hawker Pacific Aerospace. I am attending LACC and I plan on applying to transfer to a UC next fall.
@JustOneDad ^^ sorry forgot to tag earlier
Hm. Chemistry. Cool.
So, what you are describing you want to do is more molecular biology or biochemistry than engineering, but I’m not saying there can’t be overlap. Why are you in engineering transferring for engineering?
I’m planning on transferring out of community college and to a 4 year for chemical engineering. It’s what interests me the most, and my favorite subjects have always been science and math so it seemed a pretty good fit for me. @JustOneDad
Considering what you’d like to do, why wouldn’t you go for molecular biology, biochemistry or genetics?
I feel that a degree in chemical engineering will give more options in regards to the career paths I can take, in case I do change my mind somewhere down the line. I may be wrong. I am also interested in working in renewable energy, so that influenced my decisions as well.
Also, I know certain schools like UCLA have chemical engineering with a bimolecular option, but I don’t know if that’s an option for me since I’m a transfer. I asked admissions, but I haven’t gotten a reply
Chemical engineers really aren’t in the business of early stage research on vaccines, cures, or medicine. Chemical engineers are in the business of producing vaccines, cures, and medicines (which have already been discovered by research scientists) on large scales. “Lab scale” is very rarely part of the job description except when in the very early stages of scaling-up production. I do agree it gives you more career options overall, but those options just aren’t in the field you’re describing. If you want to work in medical R&D, you’d want a PhD in a chemistry or biology related field.
The best place to get started is in research laboratories on your campus or a nearby college. Also look into “NSF REUs” which are opportunities for undergraduates to do summer internships at graduate schools.
@Pancaked Thank you for the help. Do you think its feasible to do chemical engineering for undergrad, then get a M.S. or PhD in a chemistry or biology related field?
Okay, here are some possibilities;
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Talk to your Chemistry department about what kinds of things you can do to gain some instrumentation skills on the machines they do have like the gas chromatograph, NMR, etc. Maybe it’s some analysis they have thought about doing or maybe it’s just helping set up for labs as an assistant. Skills like this will help you get something good after you transfer.
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Go over to UCLA research and see if someone will accept you into their lab as a volunteer, assistant or even part time worker.
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Maybe someone at UCLA has some analyses they need done that you can do at LACC facilities under the supervision of faculty as some kind of collaboration.
@JustOneDad All good ideas, I’ll look into them and hope something works out. My internship runs til January so I’ll try to see if there are any opportunities in the winter or spring. Thanks again for the help.
Yes, it is definitely possible to get a BS in Chemical Engineering and then go on to graduate school for Chemistry or field closely related to chemistry. This is a great approach, as a degree in ChemE is a much better fall-back than just a degree in chemistry or biology should you decide you don’t want to go to graduate school.
Biology is also possible, though you really only take one or two biology courses as a ChemE, so that might not be as easy. Would help to take additional bio courses if possible. Getting research experience in the field you want to go into is huge for grad school.
Look at some noteworthy graduate schools for Chemistry, Molecular Biology, etc. and see what courses they require for admission.
@Pancaked Thank you for the help. Hopefully I get into UCLA because they offer chemical engineering with a biomolecular option, so that would definitely benefit me. There are a few government run research opportunities I have in mind for next summer. Because I am going to community college I have limited research opportunities, but I’ll definitely keep looking. I’ll also look into graduate school requirements as well. Do you know if most graduate programs for Chemistry, Molecular Biology, etc require taking the GRE?
Yes, the GRE is generally required and many programs require a subject exam as well.
I see. When do people normally start preparing for those?