Biometrician

Biometricians work in a wide range of fields. In pharmaceutical research, they contribute to drug testing and clinical trials by designing study protocols, calculating sample sizes, collecting data for example through questionnaires, checking data quality, performing statistical analyses and preparing study reports. They also provide advice on statistical issues, for example for articles in scientific journals, and develop biometric methods for identifying individuals based on personal characteristics such as voice, facial features or fingerprints.

In academic research, they publish their findings, teach courses and seminars, and take part in setting and marking examinations.

Biometricians can find employment in a variety of sectors, for example:

• in the pharmaceutical industry
• in hospitals, such as university clinics, where they support and monitor clinical studies
• at universities and research institutes
• with companies that develop biometric solutions for surveillance systems or access control

The salary level for Biometrician in Germany is: from 5221 up to 6999 EUR per month

What does the job involve?

Biometricians collect and manage data, for example in clinical trials, analyse and prepare it for further use, and design or optimise recognition methods and systems based on individual biometric traits such as fingerprints, ear shape or the retina.

Biometric statistics

Biometrics combines elements of mathematics, statistics, biology and medicine. In the pharmaceutical industry, biometricians design, implement and evaluate studies to test new drugs. They obtain the necessary approvals, define the size and duration of the trials and, where required, select test subjects. For data collection they create questionnaires or statistical tools, review returned data for quality and plausibility, carry out the analyses and prepare results in a form their clients can use.

Their expertise is also in demand in other sectors. In agriculture, for instance, they conduct studies on optimising animal feed or on the relationship between yield and environmental conditions. In the insurance industry they work on risk calculations and projections, for example regarding disease risks in specific population groups or the probability of storm damage in certain regions.

Leadership roles often require a completed master’s degree.

Biometric recognition

In another sense, biometrics refers to measuring the human body using simplified models, a task that today is largely handled by computer-based biometric systems. Modern biometric recognition also includes unique personal characteristics such as fingerprints, ear shape, voice or the retina. Biometricians help develop and improve systems for personal identification. These systems can be used for access control solutions as well as for identity documents such as passports that store biometric data like electronic photos or fingerprints.

Scientific research and teaching

At universities and medical research institutes, biometricians contribute to research projects, for example in epidemiology. Using mathematical models, they simulate how infectious diseases spread and how they can be contained. They also work on new methods for planning and evaluating clinical and animal studies, often in cooperation with industry partners.

They analyse and interpret their findings, publish them and thereby make them accessible to other researchers and students. At conferences and congresses they present their results, give lectures and seminars, supervise academic theses and take part in examinations.

For independent research and teaching, a master’s degree and a doctorate are usually required.