Who is a biophysicist and what does he do?

In modern reality, there are many professions, and among them are quite rare and unusual occupations. Despite the streams of information received, few of the interviewed computer fans will answer the question of who a biophysicist is. It can be assumed that he is dealing with living forms, but then what does physics have to do with it? Let's try to figure it out.

There are specialties necessary to support virtual reality - they work on the World Information Web. There are also such professions that study the surrounding world, the human body, space, the creations of the human mind. Biology is engaged in the study of the vital activity of all forms of life existence - processes, interactions, interconnections, development and distribution on the planet. Physics is a science that explores the laws of nature, simple and complex, structure, movement, aspects of the existence of matter.

The development of human knowledge over time forced the creation of other sections of science, created in the period of ancient civilizations, primitive knowledge obtained with the help of subjective observations and simple instruments. The gradual improvement of the equipment, the accumulated amount of information paved the way for previously unknown laws, facts, patterns that required systematization and generalization. Hence, new sections in the general sciences, which over time acquired the character of a separate branch, but by inertia were still considered sections of this area of ​​human knowledge.

His profession will not become less abstract concept for someone who is not engaged in either biology or physics. UNESCO, compiling its nomenclature in order to attribute dissertations and monumental scientific research to a specific, profile topic, awarded biophysics the title of a section of biology.

For a long time already, whole arrays of accumulated knowledge appeared, which cannot be unconditionally attributed to only one science, hence the numerous branches: biophysics, biochemistry, mathematical physics. The more humanity learns, the wider the opening horizon, and the more difficult it is to delineate which knowledge belongs to which industry.

Now biophysics has three main definitions, and in order to answer the question about the nature of the activity of a scientist or a practitioner, one has to carefully study which of them it belongs to.

• If we take it for granted that this is a branch of biology, then he studies wildlife. She is cells, molecules, and the organism as a whole, and even the biosphere of the planet. Probably, he conducts observations and experiments, generalizes his and other people's knowledge to determine the directions for further research. For this it is possible and necessary to work with natural ingredients, scientific literature, instruments and reagents.
• If we mean by biophysics a branch of mathematical physics, the goal of research is still biological objects, but this requires prevailing knowledge in the field of modern mathematics, and information on biology will not interfere. Because this biophysicist considers his objects as complex nonlinear physical systems that simultaneously carry out complex life processes.
• The simplest and most interesting definition of this science is the study of physical processes in objects of biology in order to reveal the relationship between physical mechanisms and their biological characteristics.

After that, it became clearer only that this is a specialty of a scientist, accessible to people who are able to draw logical conclusions based on the data obtained. At the same time, he must be able to work with reagents, instruments, technical means of observation. Do not forget about creative thinking, focus on your work and the desire to discover new and unknown. If there are character traits that interfere with work, it will not be possible to advance in this area, gain fame, and even achieve any tangible career growth.

A student choosing this modern profession should not only have knowledge of physics, mathematics and biology, but also basic skills for performing work in the laboratory. His difficulties do not end there - he must expand the already existing knowledge and combine it in memory with the new, obtained in lectures or on his own. A biophysics student must clearly define during his studies what he wants to work with, because, although biophysics is listed in the departments of mathematics and biology, it is already a whole science, with its subsections and categories.

The duties of a bioacoustist, bio-optician, a specialist in medical physics or psychophysics, biorhythmology, bioenergetics are only at first glance the same - study, experiments, generalization, scientific conclusions. The profession presupposes precise results, on which a lot usually depends, a deep knowledge of several subjects at once.

It is clear that the responsibilities of a specialist who is engaged in molecular biophysics, quantum, applied, metabolic, medical, theoretical, biophysics of complex systems or habitats will be different. There are only two paths before the person who has chosen this specialty.

1. Scientific research in the chosen field - observations, experiments, new theoretical knowledge, work and conclusions for obtaining scientific titles (in the second place), and for the promotion of new, super-progressive technologies. There are countless areas of application, little human knowledge, and for the next couple of centuries there is boundless scope for research.
2. Teaching activities - those who have tremendous knowledge and can present them in a simple, accessible form to the newly-minted adherents of the developing science turn to it. There are people who manage to combine progress along two paths, but they rarely make epoch-making discoveries, although they do their hard work. On the other hand, thanks to communication with young enthusiasts, they also advance science, selecting the most valuable personnel for research activities and creating entire scientific schools.

There is also a third way after obtaining a profession - to do administrative work, move up the career ladder, lead scientific and educational institutions. The value of such a biophysicist is the qualities that can ensure the work of researchers and enthusiasts, while understanding what they need and how to provide them with all of this. It is difficult to do without such people, and this path can be chosen by someone who does not want to engage in painstaking experiments or communicate with numerous students.

Reading Schrödinger, who stood at the origins of modern biophysics, one can already assume how extensive knowledge should be even among representatives of a narrow industry. He raised only a few issues in his work "What is life from the point of view of physics." Since that moment, an army of thousands of scientists has been mining new and new grains of knowledge, making global discoveries and epoch-making conclusions.

A biophysicist should know and be able to:

• chemistry and physics, biology, physical chemistry, mathematics, including modern applied science, as general sciences;
• certain branches of medicine, space research, mathematical modeling, nanobiology, etc. that will be useful to him in the chosen industry;
• to investigate biological objects and engage in precise experimental methods such as spectral, diffraction, isotope methods;
• own speech to explain what was received to colleagues or students, and a pen (computer keyboard) to put it all on paper to summarize the results of their labors.

In Russia, there is an extensive list of universities where you can get a demanded specialty. Only in Moscow, you can count a dozen, among them - the First Medical Institute. I.M.Sechenov, MEPhI, Phystech, now called State University, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Baumanka (State Technical University named after N.E.Bauman), Russian N.E. N.I. Pirogova.

There are at least five universities in the northern capital where you can get such a profession. - State Pediatric Medical University, University of Space Instrumentation, University of Telecommunications. Three educational institutions in Kazan, two in Nizhny Novgorod, one each in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Volgograd, Orenburg, Ryazan, Belgorod.

The list of subjects that you need to take on the exam and in a higher educational institution depends on the specialization of the selected university, the industry that is given preference and the faculty you are striving to enroll in. For example, in medicine, you will have to take physics as a profile exam, and additional chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science are offered.

There is always a vacancy for a good biophysicist. Medical Universities offer specialties in virology and bacteriology, diagnostic directions (functional, ultrasound), genetics and radiology.

A job can be obtained in research institutes, educational institutions, clinics at universities, large companies and concerns, industrial, technological, pharmaceutical, producing modern devices for treatment and diagnostics. Listing the TOP-6 reasons to become a biophysicist, the first is always called the opportunity to easily find a job with decent pay, since the profession is difficult and not very much in demand among applicants. They are followed by other bonuses:

• a huge number of areas in which you can work and engage in scientific activities;
• it is a rare and demanded profession that is valued in developed countries;
• you can get decent pay for your hard work;
• work in a relaxed atmosphere, not associated with stress;
• a variety of experiments allow you to escape from everyday life and feel "at the forefront" of science.

The obtained biophysical specialty can allow working in the space industry, bioinformatics are offered to work in pharmaceuticals, information technology, in environmental institutions, and the research institute of genetics.

The salary of such specialists is always at a decent level, higher than that of many in-demand specialties.... There is no universal figure, since it depends on several factors: the qualifications of the employee, his position, place of work, the chosen direction. Professional growth, together with valuable personal qualities, allows you to achieve a high salary level and lead a comfortable lifestyle.