Microbiologist

'Micro' means 'tiny' which usually refers to particles which cannot be seen in the naked eye, and 'bio' means life while 'logy or logos' means study. A microbiologist is a person who investigates things or studies in the field microbiology. Microbiologists investigate the growth and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Most microbiologists specialize in the environmental, food, agricultural or medical aspects in either medical or industrial microbiology; virology (the study of viruses); immunology (the study of mechanisms that fight infections); or bioinformatics. Many microbiologists use biotechnology to advance knowledge of cell reproduction and human disease. As of 2008, there were 16,900 microbiologists employed in the United States, with this number projected to increase 12.2% over the following decade.