Doctor of Philosophy

Career options with Physics

Physics is the basic science. Any other field of science, whether it’s chemistry or biology, it needs a basic understanding of Physics. The important developments of this century in such areas as relativity, quantum theory, and atomic and nuclear structure have uncovered new and exciting realms of Physics. Since, Physics is fundamental and foundation for all scientific inventions so it has wide range of Career opportunities.

Physics offers challenging, exciting, and productive careers. As a career, physics covers many specialized fields — from acoustics, astronomy, and astrophysics to medical physics, geophysics, biophysics and vacuum sciences. Physics involves various work activities also like lab supervisor, researcher, technician, teacher, manager. Physics opens doors to employment opportunities throughout the world in government, industry, schools, and private organizations.

Thus, employment opportunities for physics graduates / physicists are available in almost all the fields. For these basic Science Specialists, the employment prospects are really remarkable, not only in developing Economies like India, but all over the world.

Kinds of Jobs

Communication Industry
In communication physicists work in sectors such as the television, telephone and radio. Some of the prominent international employers of physics graduates in these areas include:

Petroleum Industry
In petroleum industry they are engaged in lab work for finding improved methods of processing crude oil. Several oil companies, including BP Amoco, Esso and Shell, recruit science graduates to research posts and other opportunities. Increasingly, these companies are seeking new innovations for sustainable energy and are utilizing the skills of physicists.

Meteorology, Astronomy & Space Science Industry
Astronomy will never be a major area of employment, but some physicists, usually those with a PhD, do find work in this area within university departments at home or in research organisations, such as the European Space Agency, ISRO, NASA etc. Those interested in careers in meteorology can find employment with the Met. Office.

Medical Industry
Medical physicists play a vital role in the designing and use of electronic equipments for the health sector. Also, the provision of radiotherapy services for cancer is currently undergoing a major national expansion and physicists are greatly in demand.

Other than these, some other specialized areas for physicists are mechanics, atomic and molecular physics, heat, optics, acoustic, electricity and magnetism, electronics, nuclear physics, physics of fluids, solid state physics or classical theoretical physics. Emerging areas of study for physicists are cryogenics, crystallography, and plasma physics.

If we talk about salary, the annual salary of Physicists ranges from 3.5 lakhs to 9.75 lakhs. Thus, if you are interested in pursuing a career in Physics you must some traits like Interest in scientific phenomena, research, Inquisitive mind, precision and inclination to search for real solutions, Motivation for scientific work and Ability to work with details. As far as the career options are concerned, they are many.

Genetic Engineering as a Career

Genetic Engineering (GE) is a highly complicated and advanced branch of science which involves a wide range of techniques used in changing the genetic material in the DNA code in a living organism. It alters the genetic makeup of an organism using techniques that introduce heritable material prepared outside the organism either directly into the host or into a cell that is then fused or hybridized with the host. The work of a genetic engineer involves extracting the DNA out of one organism, changing it using chemicals or radiation and subsequently putting it back into the same or a different organism.

Genetic Engineering as a career is a highly complicated and advanced branch of science. The landmark discovery of the regeneration of an exact replica of a whole animal by transferring nuclei from the cells of that animal to unfertilized eggs of another animal, without the help of a male counterpart, has given researches a wide area open to be discovered. With this discovery, genetic engineering has become globally recognized.

There is a great scope in this field as the demand for genetic engineers are growing in India as well as abroad. Genetic engineers are mainly absorbed in medical and pharmaceutical industries, the agricultural sector, and the research and development departments of the government and private sectors. They can also take up teaching as an option.

A qualified genetic engineer, must have a graduate / postgraduate degree in genetics or related fields such as biotechnology, molecular biology, microbiology or biochemistry OR a doctorate (PhD) from a recognised university, based on 2-3 years of his own research under the guidance of a professor/lecturer. The basic eligibility criteria for a graduate degree (BE / B.Tech) is 10+2 or equivalent examination, with Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics as well as genetics as part of the biology OR a bachelors degree in science or molecular biology.

Most institutes do not offer courses in Genetic Engineering as a special discipline but as a subsidiary in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry streams. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Biotechnology offer specialisation in genetic engineering. The various colleges which offer genetic engineering are Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Calicut University, Kozhikode, Kerala, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Centre for Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Department of Zoology, Poona University, etc.

Lastly, as far as the salaries are concerned, a post graduate degree offers decent salaries; however, it also depends on the kind of profession you choose.