Careers in Biodefense and Biosecurity focus on protecting and enhancing both human and animal health, and could involve both basic and applied research, program management, US/Global regulation and/or policy. There is an incredibly wide range of possibilities as this is a constantly evolving, dynamic field that is shaped by world events. You could be doing everything from drafting legislation on a Congressional staff, developing policy with a Federal Executive branch agency, public advocacy with an NGO to doing basic/applied research in a laboratory up to BSL-4 or even collecting field samples. There is no clearly defined career path in biodefense; multi-disciplinary, versatile individuals seeking the opportunity to frequently change positions (~3-5 years) tend to excel in this career field. While the majority of Biodefense and Biosecurity options with the United States government generally require US citizenship, there are many options with non-governmental organizations and in the global community.
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We thank Calvin Chue, Jennifer Groves, Sean Prigge, and Matt Ward for their assistance in compiling the above information.