Genetics

Career Pathways

UWA is Western Australia’s top ranked University, and is one of the Group of Eight leading research universities in Australia. UWA’s Life Science/ Biology disciplines, including Genetics, are particularly renowned nationally and internationally and rank amongst the world’s best 100 in their subject area.

Studying Genetics at UWA will open doors to a range of possible careers. Genetics graduates can get jobs in biotechnology, drug development and food production. Molecular geneticists find jobs in genomics laboratories in public and private research institutes, hospitals, and in broader public health, as well as in agriculture and breeding. Population geneticists are needed in healthcare, wildlife conservation and ecological management, using large amounts of genomics data. Outside the laboratory, jobs include patent law and policy-making. Geneticists take on sales and marketing roles in the medical, research and pharmaceutical industries. With their specialist knowledge in inheritance and genomics, geneticists can also become valued science journalists and science communicators or science educators. A UWA Genetics major is a starting point for more specialised industry-specific courses such as bioinformatics, applied quantitative genetics, statistical genetics or genetic counselling. Many genetics graduates do a higher degree by research such as a Master or PhD, so that they can reach more senior positions in research and development in academia and/ or industry.

To prepare you for these diverse career pathways, UWA’s unique degree structure provides you with the widest range of specialisation options amongst Western Australian universities. For example, it is possible to combine your major in Genetics with a second major in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Agricultural Sciences, Botany, Anatomy and Human Biology, Zoology, or do a extended major in Molecular Life Sciences. You can use your personal interests as a basis for your choice of subjects to study, and ultimately, to direct your career. A tailor-made UWA major in Genetics will empower you to become the next leader in future-proof fields, such as biotechnology, synthetic biology, biomedicine or science communication.

Geneticists are highly sought-after by a range of international, Australian and WA-based* companies and institutions:

• Pharmaceutical/ medical device companies (e.g. CareDx*, CSL, Pfizer, Abbvie, GlaxoSmithKline)
• Agricultural breeding companies (e.g. Australian Grain Technologies, Intergrain*)
• Biotechnology companies (e.g. Ozgene*, PYC Therapeutics*, Dimerix*, Novozyme, IDT Australia, Life Cykel, Qiagen, Roche)
• Molecular diagnostics laboratories (e.g. Pathwest*, Safe Work Laboratories*, Precision Oncology*, Mater Pathology)
• Research Centres (e.g. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)*, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Telethon Kids Institute*, Ingham Institute, Garvan Institute for Medical Research)
• Provisioners of scientific instrumentation (e.g. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Westlab, LabGear Australia)
• Genetic counselling services (Government/State, e.g. WA Health*)
• Government agencies (Primary Industries and Regional Development*)
• World Health Organisation
• Top ranked universities around the world

With a UWA Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics you will be prepared to help these companies and institutions in solving humanity’s greatest challenges:

• Fighting infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and drug-resistant bacteria
• Developing treatments for heritable diseases and cancer
• Extending and improving quality of life
• Providing food and water for the world’s ever-growing population
• Understanding and adapting to climate change
• Producing sustainable, bio-based materials
• Preserving our planet’s amazing biodiversity

Further Study