Microbiologist : Employers and vacancy sources

Microbiologists work in a range of fields and undertake the following types of activities:

Manufacturing: product development, assessment and monitoring for quality control. Employers include:

• pharmaceutical, biochemical, biotechnology and agri-chemical companies;
• food and beverage manufacturers;
• food safety organisations, including the Food Standards Agency  (FSA);
• health, home and personal care product manufacturers.

Research: where employers include:

• hospitals and universities;
• research institutions and publicly funded research establishments, including the Health Protection Agency (HPA) ; 
• private companies.

Analysis: identifying and monitoring microorganisms, disease surveillance and routine testing of food, milk and water supplies. Employers include:

• hospital laboratories;
• Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Environment: sewage treatment, water purification, waste management and bioremediation (cleaning up pollution). Employers include:

• water companies and the Environment Agency (EA) , including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) ; 
• waste management companies;
• environmental consultants.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• New Scientist Jobs   
• Guardian Jobs  
• Nature Jobs    
• Jobs.ac.uk   
• Jobs in Science   
• Biology Jobs    
• SRG Labstaff   
• Find a PhD  
• NHS Careers    
• NHS Jobs    

Vacancies can also be found through the following society websites:

• Society for Applied Microbiology (SFAM)  - members may also post a CV on the website for potential employers to view.
• Society for General Microbiology (SGM)  - current vacancies are posted on the microbiology jobs section.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.