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molecular biologist

molecular biologist

5 4.0
A scientist who studies molecules that make living things, like DNA, RNA, and proteins
  • noun
  • /məˈlɛkjələr baɪˈɑlədʒɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : biólogo molecular
  • She is a molecular biologist specializing in how proteins interact within cells.
  • ARS molecular biologists
  • Asilomar Conference of molecular biologists
  • plant molecular biologist

Understanding cognitive psychologist who have morphed into molecular biologist, studying learning and memory.

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Examples

  • One reason was recently articulated by molecular biologist Steven Benner.

    Academic text (2002)
  • So insists molecular biologist John Medina in Brain Rules.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Nekhorvich was a molecular biologist.

  • Such a collection might not seem special, since hundreds of molecular biologists work on D. discoideum.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Dr. Fink is a molecular biologist at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Arabidopsis is used as a model plant by molecular biologists because it has a small number of genes and a short life cycle.

    Academic text (1995)
  • She is a molecular biologist and biochemist who is going to talk about forensic DNA testing.

  • Beginning at Asilomar, eminent molecular biologists disagreed among themselves about the risk of the genetic engineering experiments.

    Academic text (1992)
  • "We're particularly interested in the genes that make Campylobacter so viable and virulent," says ARS molecular biologist William G. Miller.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Dr. Nunes is a molecular biologist at the Instituto Evandro Chagas, Ananindeua, Brazil.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

biologist
vsmolecular biologist
111 3.5

A scientist who studies living things and where and how they live

concentrates on DNA, RNA, and protein details rather than whole organisms
life scientist
vsmolecular biologist
1 3.5

A person who studies living things and how they work

focuses on DNA, RNA, and protein structure and function specifically

Surface Forms

Morphology

molecular + biologist

The compound is a straightforward modifier + head-noun combination: 'molecular' (concerning molecules) modifies 'biologist' (a scientist who studies life), so the meaning 'a scientist who studies molecules relevant to life' is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is regular in English and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Molecular biologist combines molecular (meaning very small parts) and biologist (a scientist who studies living things). Imagine a scientist using strong tools to look at tiny 'parts of life' like 'DNA' and 'proteins', so the phrase means someone who studies those molecules.