Ahead of the Curve: Computational Biologist

Computational Biologist. At a panel discussion among five Nobel Prize winners, one of the few things they agreed on was that the field of the future is computational biology. Sample applications: genetically engineering a plant that would be an excellent energy source, or developing a cheaper way to decode a person's full genome. (By next spring, that is expected to cost $5,000, down from $1 million in 2007.)

This guide lists the career of medical scientist as overrated. The niche of computational biologist offers better prospects both of landing a job and of making a significant contribution.

Learn more: International Society for Computational Biology.