10 Pharmacogenomics Careers To Consider (With Job Duties)

Updated 25 January 2023

Pharmacogenomics is a field that involves researching and developing medicines that interact with the human genome and studying how genes affect a person's ability to respond to drugs and medicines. Professionals in this field can study topics related to the interaction of genes with different medicines. Learning more about the various career options available in pharmacogenomics can help you choose one that aligns with your professional goals. In this article, we discuss 10 pharmacogenomics careers, explore their national average salaries, explain their job duties and show you how they use their knowledge.

10 Pharmacogenomics Careers

There are a variety of pharmacogenomics careers you may consider if you are interested in this medical field. Here are 10 roles you might consider:

1. Pharmacologist

National average salary: ₹36,573 per month

Primary duties: A pharmacologist is a medical scientist specialising in testing various medicines. These professionals research and develop chemical compounds used for creating new medicines. Their research helps identify the chemical structure of various medications and how the human body processes chemicals at different stages. A part of their research work involves finding medication for rare diseases and discovering cures for new ones. Some pharmacologists focus on the effects of chemicals on the human body, like the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Employers expect a pharmacologist to test the toxicity of chemicals and compounds, design an environment for conducting experiments and provide their results to pharmaceutical companies. Often, they test medications by studying cell samples and tissues. These professionals plan and direct pharmacology studies, standardize drug doses, and create treatment plans.

2. Clinical Research Associate

National average salary: ₹28,605 per month

Primary duties: A clinical research associate is a healthcare professional performing medical research and running clinical tests to understand the effectiveness of the drugs. These professionals confirm that the medicines and drugs are safe to use. They research existing and new drugs and find employment in research organisations and pharmaceutical companies. A part of their job role involves designing material for the trial and ensuring all trial centres have plenty of inventory for conducting research.

These professionals train the staff at the trial site and design the data collection form. They coordinate training and oversee the daily operations of the clinical trials. These professionals recruit various study participants and distribute and submit consent forms for conducting fair trials.

3. Biostatistician

National average salary: ₹51,343 per month

Primary duties: A biostatistician collects, studies and analyses data from a living organism. Using their knowledge of statistics and applied mathematics, they conduct research in their medical field. These professionals collect and research data related to the environment, agriculture, public health and plants. Using statistical tools and quantitative skills, they evaluate the data and predict outcomes.

For instance, a biostatistician helps researchers identify risk factors for diseases, understand the effectiveness of new medicines and drugs and know the potential health outcomes. A large part of their workday involves spending time in the laboratory, conducting clinical research, analysing lab results and writing detailed reports on their findings. They present their findings to policymakers, government officials and health officials to make educated public health decisions.

4. Pharmacovigilance Manager

National average salary: ₹92,077 per month

Primary duties: A pharmacovigilance manager is a professional who monitors the safety of medicines in various clinical trials. They monitor and report the effectiveness and highlight the adverse effect of pharmaceutical products on the market. Employers expect these professionals to work closely with medical and drug companies, medical representatives, doctors and other healthcare professionals. These professionals have knowledge and awareness of current pharmaceutical rules and regulations. Often, employers expect a pharmacovigilance manager to flag early signs of adverse effects of drugs. This helps minimise the risk of serious side effects and helps in thoroughly developing knowledge of products.

5. Molecular Biologist

National average salary: ₹25,000 per month

Primary duties: A molecular biologist is a health care scientist who conducts experiments and research on biological samples at a cellular and molecular level. They study human biology on the cellular level, such as genetics, DNA and cell structure. Often, these professionals use plants, animals and human genes in their research. These professionals use ligation, cloning, PCR and DNA sequence analysis while performing their research.

A part of their job role involves reviewing research papers and journal articles to stay up-to-date with new developments in the molecular biology field. While performing research, employers expect these professionals to follow all safety procedures and focus on quality control procedures in a lab environment.

6. Genetic Counsellor

National average salary: ₹44,480 per month

Primary duties: A genetic counsellor is a professional providing information on how inherited conditions might affect a patient and their health. These counsellors collect the medical and family health history to understand the chances of a patient being affected by a genetic disease or disorder. Based on their family's health history and after conducting a DNA analysis, these professionals might recommend genetic tests and gene therapies and suggest preventive measures to minimise their chances of getting a genetic disease.

To explain the genetic disorder, they create comprehensive consultation reports explaining genetic terms and concepts. They help a professional understand the impact of genetic disorders on social, cultural, health and personal relationship.

7. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

National average salary: ₹37,255 per month

Primary duties: A clinical pharmacy specialist is a professional who can help patients and doctors learn about different medications to ensure safe and effective treatment. They help understand a drug's purpose and explore reasons for a doctor to prescribe the drug. Employers expect a clinical pharmacy specialist to be familiar with a wide range of medications, their side effects and their interactions.

Often, doctors rely on the knowledge of a clinical pharmacy specialist to choose the best treatment plans for their patient's ailments. These professionals list drug interactions, appropriate doses and a treatment plan's potential outcome to make a doctor's job easier.

8. Pharmaceutical Sciences Manager

National average salary: ₹40,194 per month

Primary duties: A pharmaceutical sciences manager focuses on designing and synthesising potential drugs and their evaluation in biological systems. They primarily supervise the entire process of developing medicine. Using their skills, they create pharmaceutical therapies that treat genetic conditions and provide help with genetic therapy. These professionals work for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies focusing on therapeutics inventions. Their job role involves overseeing compliance, establishing timelines, reviewing trial results and hiring researchers and scientists.

Also, they maintain documentation regarding drug and medicine development. As they take care of the design and development, these professionals work in a laboratory setting and might work in offices when reviewing and documenting trial results.

9. Genetic Sales Consultant

National average salary: ₹18,189 per month

Primary duties: A genetic sales consultant maintains and grows a client's base by selling biotechnological products to doctors and health care companies. These professionals explain the side effects and benefits of pharmaceutical products and gene therapies to increase their sales. They increase product knowledge and understanding of the market and competition to help genetic sales representatives identify effective selling strategies.

A genetic sales consultant helps a sales representative create procedures and protocols designed to increase the conversion of leads into sales. They constantly look for ways to make genetic therapies and biotechnological products more attractive to doctors, hospitals and health care facilities. A part of their job role involves working with the marketing team to improve brand awareness and create a strong online presence.

10. Lab Technician

National average salary: ₹14,954 per month

Primary duties: A lab technician in a pharmacogenomics lab conducts various experiments and trials related to genetic therapies and pharmaceutical development. A part of their work duty involves preparing the laboratory, recording data during experiments and calibrating equipment to ensure the safety of professionals conducting experiments. A lab technician disinfects and cleans the working area and equipment. These professionals prepare a catalogue and identify biological samples for examination and storage. Employers expect a lab technician to maintain accurate records of the research findings and enter the data into the database.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

10 Pharmacogenomics Careers To Consider (With Job Duties)