CAREER GUIDE: TOXICOLOGIST - Qualification, Responsibilities, Opportunities and Career Prospects

If you have a methodical, scientific mind and enjoy carrying out experiments, a career in toxicology may be for you...

As a toxicologist, you'll look at the impact that toxic materials and radiation has on the environment and human and animal health. You'll plan and carry out laboratory and field studies that help to identify, monitor and evaluate this impact and will also consider the use of future technology.

Types of Toxicologist

You may work in different areas of toxicology, which include:

• Academic/university;
• Clinical;
• Ecotoxicology;
• Forensic;
• Industrial;
• Occupational;
• Pharmaceutical;
• Regulatory.

Responsibilities

The tasks you carry out will vary depending on your specific area of work but in general, you'll be:

• isolating, identifying and measuring toxic substances or radiation and any harmful effect they have on humans, animals, plants or ecosystems;
• planning and carrying out a wide range of experiments in the field or laboratories, looking at the biological systems of plants and animals;
• analysing and evaluating statistical data and researching scientific literature;
• writing reports and scientific papers, presenting findings and, in the case of forensic work, giving evidence in court;
• advising on the safe handling of toxic substances and radiation, in production or in the event of an accident;
• specifically within the NHS, studying the effects of harmful chemicals, biological agents and drug overdose on people and advising on the treatment of affected patients;
• liaising with regulatory authorities to make sure you're complying with local, national and international regulations.

If you work in the pharmaceutical industry, one of your most important tasks will be making sure any potential new drugs are safe to test on humans. This will involve:

• carrying out risk assessments;
• doing various tests using specialised techniques, including in vivo and in vitro tests;
• using experimental data to assess a drug's toxicity and create a safety profile;
• balancing potential benefits against any risks.

What to expect

The work can be very rewarding as you're able to make a substantial contribution to public safety, either by identifying toxic chemicals or enabling safer ones to be developed.

Jobs are quite widely available but you may have to be prepared to relocate to achieve career progression. Industrial and contract research work is concentrated in urban cities with some opportunities in abroad.

Self-employment or freelance work is sometimes possible. If you have substantial experience you'll be able to do consultancy work. You may find it difficult to take a career break due to rapid technical changes in the industry.

Travel within a working day is occasionally needed but you wouldn't usually need to be away overnight. Depending on the organisation, you may get the opportunity to travel overseas for collaborative work or scientific conferences.

Qualifications

You need to have a degree to become a toxicologist. While there are few degree courses specifically in toxicology, there are many in related subjects, such as pharmacology or biomedical sciences that contain a significant toxicology component.

The most relevant subject areas are:

• biological, biomedical and biochemical sciences;
• pharmacology/pharmacy;
• forensic, chemical and physical sciences;
• medical and veterinary sciences;
• food, crop, soil and environmental sciences.

You need to make sure your degree gives you a sound background in chemistry and a good understanding of biological systems. Entry without a degree or with a foundation degree only isn't possible.

You don't need to have a pre-entry postgraduate qualification but you may want to take one if you feel your first degree wasn't completely relevant. A Masters course that combines toxicology or forensic science with subjects such as analytical chemistry or immunology might be particularly helpful for toxicology work.

If you want to specialise in a particular area of toxicology it might be worth considering a specific postgraduate course in a related subject such as pharmacology, food science or environmental management.

Skills

You will need to show:

• an organised and methodical approach to work;
• excellent problem-solving skills;
• good teamworking skills to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams;
• the ability to collect and analyse large amounts of experimental data;
• a high degree of self-motivation and a proactive approach to work;
• excellent written and oral communication skills, for presenting data and communicating result

Employers

Employers include private companies in a range of industries, government departments and contract research organisations (CROs).  Others are Oil companies, and their allied.

You may find work in the following areas of toxicology:

• academic - universities or research centres;
• analytical and clinical - large district hospitals and specialist regional toxicology units of the NHS;
• ecotoxicology - environmental hazard assessment in government, industry and private consultancy;
• forensic - private forensic laboratories, forensic departments of hospitals or within government departments such as the Home Office;
• industrial and pharmaceutical - various industries including chemical, biotechnology or food;
• occupational - within companies, liaising with the Health and Safety Executive.

Professional development

Once you're in the job, you may want to work towards a Masters or PhD relating to your specific area of toxicology. For example, if you're working in environmental or ecotoxicology, you could take a Masters in a subject such as pollution science, waste management or aquatic resource management. This could be helpful for longer-term career progression and some employers may support and even sponsor you to do this while working.

Career prospects

It's likely that as your career progresses, you'll spend less time on practical and laboratory-based scientific work and more time on office-based and supervisory work. You can progress into project management, having the responsibility of directing others. There may be opportunities to move into consultancy work.

There is scope to specialise within toxicology or to move into related scientific fields. Opportunities depend on your background and experience but specialist areas include:

• neurotoxicology;
• immunotoxicology;
• safety pharmacology;
• toxicology of biotechnology products.

Once you've gained some experience, you'll be able to apply to become a Registered Toxicologist on the UK Register of Toxicologists. To become registered you need to:

have a degree in a relevant science;
have at least five years' subsequent toxicological experience;
pass assessment of suitability for registration, for example by published works or reviews;
be currently engaged in the practice of toxicology;
provide two senior toxicologists as referees.

SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA THAT OFFER THE COURSE

1. UNILAG
2. JIGAWA STATE UNIVERSITY
3. University of Agriculture Abeokuta
4. UNN


GET MATERIALS FOR THE UNILAG PG TOXICOLOGY EXAMS

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