There are countless Homeland Security jobs in bioterrorism available for students who are passionate about both science and law enforcement. Below introduces four Homeland Security jobs related to bioterrorism that are each unique and interesting, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
A common entry-level job is an emergency preparedness coordinator. They are responsible to support the official plans, policies and procedures related to bioterrorism, biohazards, epidemics, emergency communications and communicable disease outbreaks. They must coordinate accurate and timely communication between dozens of state and federal agencies and departments. They also work with many community partners and private organizations to maintain a constant state of emergency preparedness. They also support on-going training programs and committees for a wide range of emergency response personnel. Finally, they assist with internal audits that are designed to identify weak areas and promote continuous improvement activities.
Transportation Security Specialist
Transportation security specialists monitor and analyze transportation data in order to identify possible bioterrorism threats to national security. They work with TSA, CBP and other law enforcement officers to conduct security threat assessments on domestic and international passenger flights. In order to perform this, they use sophisticated software systems that use complex algorithms to search for and identify possible individuals on law enforcement watch lists. Armed with this information, they query classified state and federal databases to verify search results are a valid match and there is an actual threat. They send their reports to intelligence analysts and screeners for further action. They must have excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
Environmental Health Specialist
Environmental health specialists concentrate on the prevention and control of diseases in populations. They conduct ongoing environmental surveillance, identify potential dangers and develop collaborative countermeasures for real and potential threats. They must set standards and effective methods for health-threat assessments. Environmental health specialists monitor industrial systems, investigate disease outbreaks and combat the threat of bioterrorism. Environmental health specialists work with private, military and government decision makers to ensure food, water and wastewater safety. They work closely with public health officials and other scientists to perform bio-statistic and epidemiological threat assessments. Environmental health specialists must have a basic knowledge of communicable public health disease causes, transmissions and treatments.
Surveillance Epidemiologist
A surveillance epidemiologist is a highly trained public health expert who participates in surveillance programs designed to protect the public from bioterrorism events. They are also trained to deal with and oversee official responses to bioterrorist activities. They work on specific surveillance projects to identify and monitor health concerns through performing regular data analyses. They must continually compile reports and disseminating vital information to other epidemiologists, government officials and public health partners. They perform data quality assurance activities and provide technical training to emergency response personnel managers. They also collaborate with local, regional, state and national organizations related to public health surveillance projects. They must have superior communication and project management skills.
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Homeland Security Degree Programs
There are even more Homeland Security jobs in bioterrorism available, such as technology specialists, research scientists and law enforcement specialists.
