L'Etranger

Hi, I'm very interested in applications of biology. Namely to neuroscience, food/biotech related stuff and also biomechanics. Ideally, I would major in bioengineering but not many schools offer this major (I'm applying to liberal arts colleges). I'm also interested in the quantitative aspects. Would a joint math-bio major be adequate preparation for such a PhD program? Or a minor/major combination of math/bio? In the physical sciences and computer science, I know that professorships are close to impossible to get. If there are x positions, then there are 10x applicants. The norm is to move on to industry. What about in the life sciences? Are professorships more common? If not academia, what kind of exit opportunities are there? In general, how well do these jobs pay? Are the various industries "large" enough to accommodate for the PhDs or is there the x/10x problem? True, it's hard enough to gauge what's going to happen in the next five minutes, let alone the next ten years, but is there a lot of funding/demand for bio-related PhDs? I do know of DE Shaw and their research group but the listings on phds.org make no mention of the salary and that's just *one* company. Of course, I understand that nothing I do will result in perfect career opportunities. There are too many variables. Nevertheless, I would like to take a more informed decision. Thank you!