Dated November 22, 2006
(Questions answered on career concerns)
What are the career prospects for pharmaceutical engineers?
Muthu Kumar
Via email
Pharmaceutical engineers are concerned with the transformation of raw materials into valuable products by chemical, biochemical or physical processes. They are involved in the conception, design, construction, and operation of industrial plants in which the above processes take place, increasingly with design at the molecular scale being more and more significant.
Chemical and Pharmaceutical engineering overlaps with other branches of engineering, as well as with chemistry and biochemistry . This blend of subject material and emphasis on a broad range of physical and chemical processes make it a distinct and unique discipline.
Pharmaceutical engineers also engage in research and development, often in collaboration with chemists and pharmacologists working together in interdisciplinary teams.
Some engineers work in technical sales for a variety of industries. Others are involved in patent examination, and so become closely associated with the legal profession. Some become engaged in analysis of industrial hazards and safety. A few enter the field of teaching and research in universities and colleges
What are the career prospects for control and instrumentation engineers?
Arjun
Chennai
Control and instrumentation engineers research, identify, design, install, purchase, develop, test and maintain instrumentation, electronics and computer control systems within the process industry. They devise ways to control these systems by applying automation techniques and computer-aided processes. The focus of the work is ensuring that manufacturing processes operate efficiently and safely.
They are also responsible for the operation of automated plants that produce high volume products, such as petrochemicals, and undertake tasks which are considered too dangerous, repetitive or fast for others to carry out.
Control and instrumentation engineers may also plan and co-ordinate the technical design and engineering implementation of project work.
The process industry is one of the main employers of control and instrumentation engineers. This includes the chemical, food and drink, water, oil and gas, automotive, mechanical, and manufacturing industries. Other typical employers include: power generating units; instrument and control systems manufacturers and installers etc.
[The FAQ column deals with career concerns addressed to the C&K Management Ltd. P.O. Box 2178, Secunderabad 500003 or emailed to faqs@cnkonline.com]
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