Read publications and journals about biofuels and biodiesel to keep up with developments in the field. You can find a list of publications and other resources on the U.S. Department of Energys Web site, https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-resource-library. Biofuels International has articles, policy information, and guides on its Web site, https://biofuels-news.com. Get an internship or part-time job in a company that provides research and development services on biofuels or biodiesel products. If youre in school, ask your career services office for assistance in researching and locating internship and job opportunities. Search for job openings also by using employment Web sites and conducting an online search for companies that specialize in biofuels or biodiesel research and development.

Talk with biofuels/biodiesel professionals about their careers. Ask your school counselor to help arrange an interview. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to enter this career? What type of tools and equipment do you use to do your work? What do you like most and least about your job? How did you train for this field? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job? How will advances in technology change the field?

Biofuels/biodiesel technology and product development managers design or conduct research projects on biofuels and biodiesel, analyzing their potential for commercial uses. They study topics like thermodynamics, transport, mixing, filtration, distillation, fermentation, extraction, and separation. They aim to improve on process technologies in their studies of fluid dynamics, water treatments, and extraction and recovery of biofuels. They are responsible for finding ways to convert renewable energy sources, such as vegetable oils, algae, and switchgrass, to biofuel. These types of sources are known as feedstocks.

Other tasks involved in this type of work include developing and preparing the plans for the biofuels or biodiesel experiments, or reviewing the plans and overseeing the experiments. Technology and product development managers guide the technical staff by providing technical or scientific information on the research and development process. They analyze the results of the applied biofuels or biodiesel research projects and make recommendations for new products, processes, technologies, or applications.

The job requires the ability to identify and solve complex problems, to sense when something might become a problem, and to come up with solutions that prevent problems from happening. Strong research, analytical, math, and writing skills are essential. Technology and product development managers use various software programs to gather and analyze data and to create reports. They use analytic/scientific, enterprise resource planning software, spreadsheet, presentation, and word processing software. They also use new technology (such as generative artificial intelligence) to collect and analyze data, as well as identify new research insights.