Top tips to hire a microbiology consultant

Natasha Beeton, freelance scientific writer on Kolabtree, provides a quick guide on how to hire a microbiology consultant, how much it costs, and tips for working with a freelancer.

Microbiology is a field of science that influences almost every sector of the economy. Microbes are in us and all around us, affecting every natural and synthetic process. Microbiology initially flourished as a basic research discipline, but avenues of applied microbiology continue to proliferate and increasingly impact our daily lives.

What does a microbiology expert do?

Microbiologists study bacteria, viruses, algae, fungi, and certain parasites. Microbiologists are interested in how microbes are adapted to their niche environments, how they interact with and affect other organisms, how their growth can be controlled, and how they can be used to develop new products such as biofuels, vaccines, enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics or hormones.

The study of microbiology is critical to human, plant, and animal health, as microbes can be both harbingers of disease, spoilage, and pollution, as well as necessary partners in optimal nutrition and wellbeing.

Many microbiologists specialize as veterinary, medical or clinical microbiologists. Others specialize as environmental, industrial or agricultural microbiologists. Many microbiology scientists work for universities, research laboratories, forensic or clinical diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, biotechnology companies, pharma, manufacturing industries, and government departments and agencies

The typical responsibilities of microbiologists can include:

• Raising funds for, planning and implementing research projects
• Collecting and processing samples for testing
• Applying laboratory techniques such as next-generation sequencing, electron microscopy, microbial isolation and culture
• Applying specific microbial typing techniques for microbial identification
• Improving sterilization procedures
• Safety monitoring and quality control of food, chemical, personal care, and medical products
• Developing new drugs to combat infectious/non-infectious microbial diseases
• Developing diagnostics for microbial diseases
• Supervising the work of laboratory technicians and other workers
• Keeping current with the latest research or market trends
• Preparing technical reports, publishing and presenting research findings
• Making recommendations to government agencies and industry stakeholders
• Performing clinical laboratory tests on specimens collected from plants, humans, and animals to aid in the detection of disease
• Tackling problems related to industrial production processes such as microbial growth in pipes and reactors
• Working in public health to monitor and prevent the spread of disease
• Working in waste management, bioremediation, and water treatment and purification

Microbiologists will at least have a bachelor’s degree in microbiology or a closely related field such as molecular biology, biochemistry or biotechnology. For advancement and certain positions and responsibilities, a master’s degree or doctorate is required. Their job titles vary and can include Virologist, Quality Control Microbiologist, Research Microbiologist, Laboratory Technician, Clinical Microbiologist, Microbial Biotechnologist, Microbiology Consultant, and Veterinary Microbiologist. There are also microbiology content writers, who specialize in writing in this field for the media, government, business, and academia.

How much does it cost to hire a freelance microbiologist?

To hire a freelance microbiology consultant, the fee generally ranges from USD 40–100 per hour depending on how specialized the required skillset is and the level of experience necessary. If you’re looking to work on projects that require intensive clinical research support, you may need to work with consultants who charge upwards of USD 100 per hour. However, if you’re looking for writing support, you can hire microbiology or life science writers at USD 40-60 per hour.

The hourly fee can be negotiated upfront based on the estimated number of project hours, or a flat fee (for projects of a defined scope) can be discussed. If you need short-term/temporary access to microbiology consulting services, then hiring a freelance consultant on our platform is a convenient and cost-effective way to access this talent pool.

How do you write an effective job post to hire a microbiology expert?

The best way to attract the top microbiology freelancers is to make your project description informative. You will need to provide information on the following:

• Skills required (e.g., DNA-based microbial typing)
• What the project area is (e.g., clinical microbiology)
• What the project entails (e.g., consulting on cost-effective DNA typing for food-borne pathogens)
• What the deliverables are (be specific about what you need the outputs to be)
• Duration of the project (provide an estimate of how many hours work you will need per week/by when you need the project to be completed)
• By when you need to hire (having more leeway on this will give you more time to choose the best expert for your needs)
• Your budget (per hour or fixed fee)

If you are unsure what exactly is required, providing as much detail as possible will allow the experts to still make an informed bid for your project and suggest the best routes forward.

Kinds of scientific experts on Kolabtree

Freelance Epidemiologists | Freelance Food Scientists | Freelance genetics consultants | Freelance medical researchers | Freelance molecular biologists | Virology consultants

Our platform makes it easier than ever before to connect and collaborate with the best microbiology consultants who can provide your project with the expertise you need. Simply post your project on Kolabtree and receive quotes.