What does a bioprocess engineer do?
Bioprocess Engineers are responsible for developing and improving engineering systems and processes for use in biopharmaceutical and biotechnology. They create process documents, manage inventory levels, and ensure work operations adhere to good manufacturing practices. Additionally, they must oversee the inner workings of downstream, data, and upstream processing.
Bioprocess engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real bioprocess engineer resumes:
- Accomplish QA of inspector worksheets during shipboard inspection, and generate certification report for government approval.
- Coordinate off-site manufacturing, research and development activities with CMO's and CRO's.
- Process development and optimization of human prourokinase (proUK) production by recombinant CHO cells.
- Reformulate freeze-down media and process to facilitate thaw and scale-up with simplify operations and minimizing exposure to contaminants.
- Support CMO initiatives by successfully completing process characterization studies and executing process validation studies at both small and large scales.
- Propose and implement an architecture with significantly improve availability characteristics.
- Work predominantly as a fermentation scientist on ethanol and ABE fermentations.
- Propose and implement an architecture with significantly improve availability characteristics.
Bioprocess engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Bioprocess Engineers are proficient in CIP, Pilot Plant, and Scale-Up. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Analytical skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Bioprocess Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CIP, 20%
Handled CIP, SIP and harvest of fermentation broth to downstream processing area.
- Pilot Plant, 16%
Designed Cell Culture and Fermentation pilot plant suites layout and utilities needs.
- Scale-Up, 14%
Reformulated freeze-down media and process to facilitate thaw and scale-up with simplified operations and minimizing exposure to contaminants.
- Data Analysis, 11%
Reviewed and deliberated newly engineered combat crafts and recommended future design improvements based on data analysis and visual assessments.
- Drug Substance, 11%
Initiated and optimized controlled freeze-thaw manufacturing process for bulk drug substance.
- Sops, 8%
Generate process paperwork, e.g., batch records, SOPs.
Common skills that a bioprocess engineer uses to do their job include "cip," "pilot plant," and "scale-up." You can find details on the most important bioprocess engineer responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a bioprocess engineer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what bioprocess engineers do because "because bioengineers and biomedical engineers sometimes work with patients and customers and frequently work on teams, they must be able to express themselves clearly in discussions." Additionally, a bioprocess engineer resume shows how bioprocess engineers use communication skills: "key achievements: proposed changes in legacy java code base and introduced blazeds for client-server communication. "
Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling bioprocess engineer duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "bioengineers and biomedical engineers must assess the needs of patients and customers prior to designing products." According to a bioprocess engineer resume, here's how bioprocess engineers can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "developed bioreactor data compilation and analysis methods to diagnose and interpret productivity limitations with colleagues. "
Creativity. bioprocess engineers are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to bioprocess engineer responsibilities, because "bioengineers and biomedical engineers must be creative to come up with innovations in healthcare equipment and devices." A bioprocess engineer resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "trained new and rotational staff members on sops and safety procedures implemented and managed kanban inventory control system for pilot plant"
Math skills. For certain bioprocess engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a bioprocess engineer rely on this skill, as "bioengineers and biomedical engineers use calculus and other advanced math and statistics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what bioprocess engineers do: "developed a visual c++ (mfc) based application to calculate real time statistics for gps sessions. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for bioprocess engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of bioprocess engineers all the time, as "bioengineers and biomedical engineers typically deal with intricate biological systems." An excerpt from a real bioprocess engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a bioprocess engineer does: "provided the implementation solution for jsbuilder3 minimized and compressed javascript, across multiple co-operating application files. "
The three companies that hire the most bioprocess engineers are:
- Thermo Fisher Scientific3 bioprocess engineers jobs
- AbbVie2 bioprocess engineers jobs
- BD2 bioprocess engineers jobs
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Compare different bioprocess engineers
Bioprocess engineer vs. Senior biomedical technician
In a biomedical engineering internship, an intern's duties usually depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around gathering industry and workplace insights while performing support tasks such as preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, organizing files, maintaining databases, running errands, and assisting staff in various preparations and procedures. They may also conduct research, study different subjects, and gather samples for laboratory procedures. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to familiarize and abide by the organization's policies and regulations, reporting to the managers should there be any problems.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, bioprocess engineer responsibilities require skills like "gmp," "process flow," "cip," and "pilot plant." Meanwhile a typical senior biomedical technician has skills in areas such as "medical equipment," "biomedical equipment," "health system," and "equipment operation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, senior biomedical technicians reach lower levels of education than bioprocess engineers. Senior biomedical technicians are 17.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 5.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Bioprocess engineer vs. Biomedical imaging center director
Each career also uses different skills, according to real bioprocess engineer resumes. While bioprocess engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "gmp," "process flow," "cip," and "pilot plant," biomedical imaging center directors use skills like "mri," "biomedical," "financial data," and "pacs."
Biomedical imaging center directors earn higher levels of education than bioprocess engineers in general. They're 20.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bioprocess engineer vs. Biomedical manager
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, bioprocess engineers are more likely to have skills like "gmp," "process flow," "cip," and "pilot plant." But a biomedical manager is more likely to have skills like "asset management," "biomedical equipment," "medical devices," and "clinical equipment."
Most biomedical managers achieve a lower degree level compared to bioprocess engineers. For example, they're 15.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bioprocess engineer vs. Biomedical engineering internship
Even though a few skill sets overlap between bioprocess engineers and biomedical engineering interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a bioprocess engineer might have more use for skills like "gmp," "process flow," "cip," and "pilot plant." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of biomedical engineering interns require skills like "biomedical engineering," "cad," "labview," and "powerpoint. "
In general, biomedical engineering interns hold lower degree levels compared to bioprocess engineers. Biomedical engineering interns are 11.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of bioprocess engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
