Biologist to epidemiologist
A biologist already meets 55% of what the epidemiologist role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.7/ 100
1 How much of what an epidemiologist is expected to do is already part of a biologist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the epidemiologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An epidemiologist role treats 27 of its required skills as things a biologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply for research funding
- apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
- apply scientific methods
- communicate with a non-scientific audience
- conduct research across disciplines
- demonstrate disciplinary expertise
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 38 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An epidemiologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a biologist background worth leading with.
- already held analyse blood samples information skills
- already held genomics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held virology health and welfare
- already held archive scientific documentation information skills
- already held life sciences natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held develop scientific research protocols information skills
All 38 carried skills, including the 27 the epidemiologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn prevent communicable diseases' outbreaks required
- still to learn manage intellectual property rights required
- still to learn mentor individuals required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- still to learn think abstractly required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held assist in clinical trials optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
- still to learn communicable diseases required
- still to learn epidemiology required
- still to learn preventive medicine required
- still to learn public health required
- optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held immunology optional
- still to learn apply statistical analysis techniques required
- still to learn integrate gender dimension in research required
- still to learn manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data required
- optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
- optional, not held develop vaccines optional
- optional, not held manage clinical risk optional
- still to learn biometrics required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held statistical analysis system software optional
- still to learn take disease prevention measures required
- optional, not held develop communicable disease control policies optional
- optional, not held contribute to public health campaigns optional
- still to learn research design required
- optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an epidemiologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 prevent communicable diseases' outbreaks practise this
- 02 take disease prevention measures practise this
- 03 manage intellectual property rights practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 38 skills that carry over
- already held apply for research funding skill
- already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
- already held conduct research across disciplines skill
- already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
- already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
- already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
- already held evaluate research activities skill
- already held gather experimental data skill
- already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
- already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
- already held manage open publications skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held manage research data skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held promote open innovation in research skill
- already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
- already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
- already held publish academic research skill
- already held report analysis results skill
- already held scientific literature knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held synthesise information skill
- already held write scientific publications skill
- already held analyse blood samples skill
- already held archive scientific documentation skill
- already held biological chemistry knowledge
- already held biology knowledge
- already held develop scientific research protocols skill
- already held genomics knowledge
- already held laboratory techniques knowledge
- already held life sciences knowledge
- already held microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held virology knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn operate open source software required
- optional, not held contribute to practice innovation in health care optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- optional, not held manufacture medicines optional
- optional, not held SAS language optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop communicable disease control policies optional
- optional, not held SAS language optional
- optional, not held contribute to practice innovation in health care optional
- optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
- optional, not held develop vaccines optional
- optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- optional, not held assist in clinical trials optional
- optional, not held contribute to public health campaigns optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held immunology optional
- optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
- optional, not held manage clinical risk optional
- optional, not held manufacture medicines optional
- optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional
- optional, not held statistical analysis system software optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
60 held skills the epidemiologist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse cell cultures skill
- not needed by the target role animal welfare legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role applied zoology knowledge
- not needed by the target role aquatic species knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact in aquaculture operations skill
- not needed by the target role biosecurity knowledge
- not needed by the target role biotechnology in aquaculture knowledge
- not needed by the target role botany knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect biological data skill
- not needed by the target role collect fish samples for diagnosis skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role computational biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct ecological research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fish mortality studies skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fish populations studies skill
- not needed by the target role conduct genome research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on fauna skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on flora skill
- not needed by the target role conserve natural resources skill
- not needed by the target role create natural science taxonomies skill
- not needed by the target role cryopreservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop aquaculture breeding strategies skill
- not needed by the target role ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role ecosystem management knowledge
- not needed by the target role entomology knowledge
- not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role fish biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role fish identification and classification knowledge
- not needed by the target role habitat restoration knowledge
- not needed by the target role herpetology knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify poisons skill
- not needed by the target role inspect fish stock skill
- not needed by the target role lepidoptery knowledge
- not needed by the target role mammalogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role marine biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role medical parasitology knowledge
- not needed by the target role molecular biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor fish health status skill
20 further entries not listed here
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn biometrics required
- still to learn communicable diseases required
- still to learn epidemiology required
- still to learn preventive medicine required
- still to learn public health required
- still to learn research design required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held SAS language optional
- optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held immunology optional
- optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional
- optional, not held statistical analysis system software optional
Other moves recorded from biologist
- marine biologist 76% covered · moderate
- biophysicist 68% covered · moderate
- aquaculture biologist 66% covered · moderate
- microbiologist 65% covered · moderate
- geneticist 60% covered · substantial
- palaeontologist 58% covered · substantial
- aquatic animal health professional 57% covered · substantial
- immunologist 57% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a biologist become an epidemiologist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A biologist already covers 55% of what an epidemiologist is expected to do: 38 skills carry over, 27 of which the epidemiologist role treats as required.
What skills does a biologist need to become an epidemiologist?
18 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is prevent communicable diseases' outbreaks.
How hard is the move from biologist to epidemiologist?
Its learning distance is 59.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.