The role of the pharmaceutical scientist in drug discovery and development is highly varied. Duties range from the synthesis of novel compounds designed to alter disease processes, to the formulation of these compounds into a tablet or capsule, to the development of assays (tests) to measure the drug and its metabolites in the body, to the testing of compounds for their effects in animals and humans. In addition, scientists in this industry pursue more basic questions, such as which genes or processes are critical in disease, as well as better ways to diagnose disease and predict clinical outcomes of treatment strategies. While the pharmaceutical industry employs thousands of chemists and biologists, the skills needed to work in the pharmaceutical industry are much broader and are being substantially changed by the infusion of genetics and genomics into the drug development process. Therefore those interested in a scientific...