Microbiologists study the growth and characteristics of micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites) and their interactions with their environment, and develop medical and industrial applications (for example, in the food processing industry).

Microbiologists study the biochemical, physiological and genetic aspects of micro-organisms, and how micro-organisms interact. In general, this involves:

• working in or creating aseptic conditions
• studying human diseases caused by micro-organisms
• conducting experiments to isolate and grow cultures of specific micro-organisms under controlled conditions
• isolating, analyzing and genetically manipulating nucleic acids, proteins and other substances produced by micro-organisms
• performing tests on water, food and the environment to detect harmful micro-organisms and control sources of pollution and contamination
• observing, identifying and classifying micro-organisms
• isolating and genetically modifying micro-organisms involved in breaking down pollutants
• developing genetically modified microbes for use in the production of genetically engineered biological products (proteins) or for gene transfer.

Microbiologists use a variety of specialized equipment such as incubator-shakers, fermentors, autoclaves, light and electronic microscopes, epifluorescence and confocal microscopes, centrifuges, gas chromatographs, high pressure liquid chromatographs, mass spectometry, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence activated cell sorters and phosphoimagers.

Microbiologists may specialize in fields such as:

• bacteriology in general or a particular aspect of bacteriology (for example, public health bacteriology, pharmaceutical bacteriology, hospital/clinical bacteriology)
• environmental microbiology
• food microbiology 
• biotechnology (for more information, see the Biotechnologist occupational profile)
• immunology (studying immune reactions in humans or animals)
• microbial ecology (for related information, see the Ecologist occupational profile)
• molecular microbiology (investigating how bacteria or viruses function at the molecular level)
• eukaroytic microbiology (studying fungi, parasites or protozoa)
• virology.

Medical microbiologists help scientists and physicians in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infections in animals and humans by investigating:

• how organisms cause disease and their role in disease processes
• factors contributing to the occurrence of disease in a population
• how epidemics can be controlled.

Microbiologists employed in the food, dairy or brewing industries may be involved in quality control and the application of good laboratory/manufacturing practice.

Work in microbiology is often interdisciplinary so microbiologists may work closely with chemists, biochemists, geneticists, pathologists, physicians, environmental scientists, engineers, veterinarians or geologists.

Some microbiologists, particularly those working in environmental, agricultural and veterinary fields, work outdoors some of the time. However, most of the work is indoors in laboratories and on computers. The pressure of having to meet project deadlines can be stressful.

Following safety procedures is extremely important to avoid chemical injury or exposure to infection when working with pathogens. Preventive inoculations help to protect medical microbiologists from the risk of disease.

The minimum education requirement is a four year bachelor of science degree in microbiology, biochemistry or genetics with some background in chemistry. Those who have a bachelor's degree are qualified to work as laboratory assistants or technicians. A master's degree or PhD is usually required for senior research positions. Those who have PhDs may continue their training as post-doctoral fellows.

Medical microbiologists involved in direct patient care must have a medical degree (for more information, see the Physician and Pathologist occupational profiles). Those planning to work in medical research laboratories or medical diagnostic laboratories may take a B.Sc. degree in Medical Laboratory Science, or a B.Sc. degree plus a related two year diploma. For some positions, other forms of certification also may be required.

Admission to graduate degree programs generally requires an acceptable average in the last two years of a related bachelor's degree program. Post-secondary institutions throughout Alberta offer bachelor's degree programs in biological sciences and university transfer programs that allow students to apply up to two years of study toward bachelor's degree programs. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the courses they choose to take will be accepted for credit at the institution to which they wish to transfer.

The following post-secondary institutions offer graduate degree programs as well as bachelor's degree programs in microbiology:

• The University of Alberta in Edmonton offers four year B.Sc. honours and specialization degree programs in microbiology. The University also offers M.Sc. and PhD degree programs in microbiology (with a specialization in cell biotechnology), and medical microbiology and immunology.
• The University of Calgary offers B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD degree programs in cellular, molecular and microbial biology in the Department of Biological Sciences. The Faculty of Medicine offers a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree program with a specialization in biomedical science and a Master of Biotechnology program. The Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases offers M.Sc. and PhD programs.
• The University of Lethbridge offers a four year B.Sc. degree program in agricultural biotechnology that is also offered as a co-operative education program. The university also offers M.Sc. and PhD degree programs in which the primary emphasis may be microbiology.

Entrance requirements for bachelor's degree programs vary from one program to another but, in general, include a high school diploma with a competitive average (ranging from 65 to 80 per cent) in English Language Arts 30-1, Pure Math 30, Biology 30, Chemistry 30 and one other approved 30-level subject (Physics 30 and Math 31 recommended).

For information about mature student admission policies and entrance requirements for specific programs, please check post-secondary calendars or websites.

Professional Biologist is a protected title under Alberta's Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act. This means that to call yourself a Professional Biologist, you must be a registered member of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB). At present, you can call yourself a "biologist" if you are not a registered member of ASPB.

Microbiologists who have B.Sc. degrees may work as technologists in post-secondary, government or industrial laboratories. Those who have M.Sc. degrees may work as professionals in the same laboratory settings. Microbiologists who have PhDs may conduct research, teach in universities, manage hospital (clinical) diagnostic microbiology laboratories or advance to senior scientific appointments in government or industry.

Microbiologists work for the following types of organizations:

• municipal, provincial and federal governments
• hospitals, colleges and universities
• laboratories in the food and beverage processing industries
• companies in the agricultural industry
• pharmaceutical companies
• diagnostic laboratories
• biotechnology firms
• bioremediation companies
• companies in the oil industry.

Contract work is becoming more common in this occupation. Advancement opportunities depend on the size and nature of the employing organization and the microbiologist's qualifications.

Microbiologists are part of the larger National Occupational Classification 2121: Biologists and Related Scientists. In Alberta, 80 per cent of Biologists and Related Scientists work in the following industries:

• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
• Public Administration
• Health Care and Social Assistance.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next ten years.

Microbiologists' salaries vary considerably depending on their responsibilities and qualifications (for example, whether they have a B.Sc. degree and are working as technicians or have a PhD degree and are conducting research).

According to the 2009 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Biologists and Related Scientists occupational group earned from $13.99 to $150.00 an hour. The average wage was $36.18 an hour. For information about salary ranges for university professors, see the University Professor occupational profile.

For more detailed information, see WAGEinfo.

Post-secondary institution calendars and websites (see Educational Requirements above)

EDinfo website: www.alis.alberta.ca/edinfo

Alberta Society of Professional Biologists website: www.aspb.ab.ca

ECO Canada (Environmental Careers Organization) website: www.eco.ca