There is plenty of potential for a career in basic research – there are still many questions to answer in Developmental Biology. It is also possible to use the skills involved in developmental biology in medical settings, for example in assisted conception clinics.

The principles that underlie development have been derived by studying embryos from a range of different organisms - from the worm Caenorhabditis elegans to the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to zebrafish and mice. Most embryos are very tiny and developmental biologists must become skilled at handling them. The ability to make careful observations is also desirable. As in other areas of research, developmental biologists need to have a degree of doggedness and determination because studying embryos and designing experiments to test how cells interact is technically challenging.