Job Description

Biomaterials Engineers design, test, and create materials intended for medical and biological applications. These materials are used in implants, prosthetics, tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems. By choosing this job, YOU will have a direct and positive impact on other people!
If you’re interested in research, this could be the job for you! Biomaterials engineers regularly conduct experiments and collaborate with other biomaterials engineers, and physicians to ensure every material adheres to safety regulations and standards.
If any of this sounds interesting, keep reading to learn more about Biomaterials Engineers!

Average Salary

The salary of biomaterials engineers depends a lot on their experience level. In the U.S, entry level(0-2 years) biomaterial developers are paid $60K-$75K mid-level(3-5 years) get paid 75k-$95k per year, and senior-level(5+ years) biomaterial developes get earn between $95,000 and $130,000 annually. These are just some of the average statistics in the US. Some companies give more or less than the average.

Required Majors/Education

In order to become a biomaterials engineer , you need to have a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science or Chemical Engineering. A master's degree in Biomaterials or Bioengineering is necessary. Some of the best universities for biomaterial development in the US are Johns Hopkins Medicine, Stanford University, University of California Berkeley and Georgia Institute of Technology. At the international level, a few top universities for biomaterial development include: The University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, The University of Toronto and Imperial College London National University of Singapore.

Projected Job Growth

Biomaterials engineering is expected to grow by 7% over the next decade. That is 3% faster than the national average!

Example Jobs

Although you aren’t applying to jobs right now, looking at existing biomaterials developer jobs can give you an idea of what to expect and what the job actually looks like. Here are three example jobs:

• Biomaterials and Tissue Engineer at Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation
  • Biomaterials Engineers at the Terasaki Institute develop an “organ-on-a-chip”. This is a revolutionary technology which aims to completely eliminate animal testing by manufacturing human tissues on a chip to test medications. Their responsibilities include conducting experiments related to tissue engineering, innovating novel solutions to problems, and sharing your findings through seminars, conferences, and publications. In order to qualify for this job you will need a PhD, a strong record of previous publications in peer-reviewed journals, and experience with cells and cell culture. This job is located in Los Angeles and pays $60,000.
• Materials Engineer at Abbott
  • At Abbott, Biomaterials Engineers work to combat atrial fibrillation, a disease characterized by an irregular heart beat. They accomplish this by performing surface analysis, failure analysis, analytical chemistry, and corrosion testing with different materials to find and develop the best one. Applicants to the job need a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in material science or related degree and 3-5 years of experience. This job is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and pays $57,300.00 – $114,700.00 (depending on location).
• Biomedical Engineer at Planet Pharma
  • Planet Pharma develops tissues to use in prosthetic heart valves! Biomaterial Engineers at Planet Pharma conduct experiments to characterize tissues in heart valves and determine what triggers calcification in hearts and communicate results via detailed technical plans, reports, documents, and presentations. To work there you’ll need a bachelor's degree (higher degree preferred) in Chemical engineering, Biochemical engineering, Biomedical engineering or related field and minimum 3 years experience. Planet Pharma is located in Fridley, Minnesota.