There are various roles that virology experts play. Virology scientists study the structure, genetic sequences, and pathogenicity (disease-causing potential) of viruses. This allows us to better understand how viruses evolve, are transmitted and affect their hosts. Medical virologists are medical doctors who assist with the prevention, diagnosis, and management of viral diseases in human patients. Other virologists investigate the efficacy of antiviral drugs and the evolution of drug resistance, while yet others investigate the development and application of virotherapies (viruses reprogrammed to act as therapeutic agents).

An increasingly critical area of virology is the study of emerging viruses, which are viruses exhibiting significant changes in their geographic distribution and/or incidence. Research and clinical experience have indicated a growing incidence of “zoonoses”, where emerging viruses are jumping host from animals to humans. These are starkly exemplified by the 2019 outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and previous outbreaks of avian flu, Zika virus, Ebola, SARS, and MERS. 

Thus, virologists are also required to constantly survey animal and human populations at risk to prevent—or at least rapidly contain—such instances of transmission. Indeed, the role of virologists is set to become ever more prominent as the COVID-19 crisis forces governments to re-evaluate their strategies and budgetary allocations toward the future prevention of viral epidemics. 

The typical responsibilities of virologists can include:

• Raising funds for, planning, and implementing research projects

• Applying molecular virology techniques such as antibody and antigen detection, PCR, next-generation sequencing, and electron microscopy

• Performing laboratory tests on specimens collected from plants, humans, and animals 

• Supervising the work of laboratory technicians and other workers

• Developing and implementing viral diagnostic testing for routine clinical use and in outbreak settings 

• Consulting on the clinical management of patients with viral diseases in hospitals and clinics

• Preparing technical reports, publishing and presenting research findings

• Making recommendations to government agencies and industry stakeholders 

• Implementing regional and national surveillance to monitor and prevent the spread of viral disease 

• Advising public health policies regarding immunization, vaccine use, and the prevention of animal-to-human transmission

• Research and consulting regarding viruses of agricultural importance (i.e., those infecting livestock and plant crops)

• Assisting with the containment of viral outbreaks, whether in a school or hospital ward or at a regional, national or global level

• Consulting on the design and maintenance of e.g., operating theatres and the best practices in food preparation, waste disposal, sterilization, and disinfection

• Developing antiviral drugs, vaccines, and virotherapies

• Using paleovirology to investigate how viruses have evolved based on their impact on host biology 

• Using ecovirology to investigate how viruses interact with and impact on species in the natural environment 

• Using synthetic virology approaches to build viruses in the laboratory to better understand virus structure and function and to engineer them for therapeutic purposes

Virologists are employed in most sectors, where they work for universities, research organizations, forensic or clinical diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, biotechnology companies, pharma, the agricultural and manufacturing industries, and government departments and agencies. 

Virologists will at least have a bachelor’s degree in microbiology or a closely related field such as molecular biology, biochemistry or biotechnology. For advancement and certain positions and responsibilities, a master’s degree or doctorate is required, while a medical degree (M.D.) is required for clinical work. Their job titles vary and can include Research Scientist, Clinical Virologist, Plant Virologist, Laboratory Technician, and Medical Virologist. There are also virology content writers, who specialize in writing in this field for the media, government, business, and academia.

To hire a freelance virology consultant, the fee generally ranges from 40–100 USD per hour depending on how specialized the required skillset is and the level of experience necessary. 

The hourly fee can be negotiated upfront based on the estimated number of project hours, or a flat fee (for projects of a defined scope) can be discussed. If you need short-term/temporary access to virology consulting services, then hiring a freelance consultant on our platform is a convenient and cost-effective way to access this talent pool.

The best way to attract the top Kolabtree virology freelancers is to make your project description informative. You will need to provide information on the following:

• Skills required (e.g., zoonotic virology)

• What the project area is (e.g., public health)

• What the project entails (e.g., consulting on the best approach to survey for emerging viral zoonoses)

• What the deliverables are (be specific about what you need the outputs to be)

• Duration of the project (provide an estimate of how many hours work you will need per week/by when you need the project to be completed)

• By when you need to hire (having more leeway on this will give you more time to choose the best expert for your needs)

• Your budget (per hour or fixed fee)

If you are unsure what exactly is required, providing as much detail as possible will allow the experts to still make an informed bid for your project and suggest the best routes forward. 

The Kolabtree platform makes it easier than ever before to rapidly connect and collaborate with top virology experts to move your projects forward.