WHAT IS A BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEER? Engineering I Fall 2014

Biochemical Engineering Biochemical engineering has the aspects of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, bioorganic an bioinorganic chemistry, and lastly chemical engineering. BioChem Eng is the use of living organisms for the production of chemical and biological materials or the development of new processes Applicatiion Wine Beer Cheese Bread Vaccines

A biochemical engineer is responsible for the development of new chemical products that can be used by a multitude of companies and individuals. They are responsible for the research, development, documentation, and production of products derived from a combination of organic and lab-made materials that can benefit people and society at large.

Each day, the engineer juggles several important skills. First and foremost is design work. They must conduct studies on cells, proteins, viruses, or other biological substances to determine optimal conditions for growth or inhibitors that can stop or kill. They must develop and conduct experiments to observe interactions of raw materials with each other and in specific environments. Lastly, they must develop processes for building new compounds from these materials that can be mass-produced for the general public’s use.

In addition to design work, the engineer will need to often work with others in process and product development. They will need to work with research personnel and manufacturing personnel to prepare information about products that are developed – safety sheets, manuals, and operating procedures and directions. They also need to work with fellow chemists and biologists to develop new technologies and products, so as to continue innovation.

These products stretch across every aspect of society. Items created can be agricultural chemicals, used to treat and develop foods for public consumption. They can be petroleum-based products, such as oils, plastics, paints, or other resins. They can be fibrous products, such as papers or textiles. They can be cleaning products, either detergents and soaps or perfumes and cosmetics. Indeed, most of the products that people come into contact with on an everyday basis are developed via biochemical engineering processes.

Lastly, they must be responsible for documenting their work and their results. Engineers must make sure that the results of and research and experiments and collaborations are properly captured and documented. Continued experiments help to determine what does and does not work with various materials, and reviewing past results can enable engineers to determine new methods to attempt in the future. Ideally, they will keep databases that house report data from past experiments.

The average salary of a Biochemical Engineer is $94,310. Salaries start from $49,140 and go up to $144,000. The average salary for a Biochemical Engineer may vary depending on several factors, like level of education, amount of experience, industry, company size and location.

References: Biochemical Engineering, Second Edition, 1997 By Douglas S. Clark, Harvey W. Blanch Environ/Projects00/biochip/biochip.html