SOC 19-2032
Materials Scientists
Risk Score
โ ๏ธ35/100
Moderate
US Employment
๐ฅ8,330
Total workers
Median Wage
๐ฐ$104K
$61K โ $169K
Projected Growth
๐+4.9%
2023-2033 (BLS)
GenAI Exposure
๐ค67/100
High exposure
๐ก Materials Scientists face a risk score of 35/100 โ 9 points below the national average of 44. With 67/100 GenAI exposure, this occupation faces significant pressure from AI tools despite strong projected growth. See our methodology โ
๐ก Workers in this field earn $104K ($58K above the national median). The 3 recommended career transitions all maintain competitive wages while reducing automation exposure. Explore transition paths โ
๐ AI Impact Analysis
With a risk score of 35/100, Materials Scientists faces moderate automation pressure. While tasks like ai coding assistants reducing developer demand are increasingly handled by AI, the role retains significant human elements. The 8,330 workers in this occupation should focus on strengthening skills in collaborative scientific discourse and peer review and designing novel experiments and research methodologies to stay ahead. The role will likely evolve rather than disappear.
Will AI Replace Materials Scientists?
Read our full analysis with verdict, risk factors, safe tasks, and career transition paths โ
โ ๏ธ Top Risk Factors
AI coding assistants reducing developer demand
AI-powered research and literature review tools
Chatbot displacement of customer-facing interactions
๐ก๏ธ Tasks Safe from Automation
Collaborative scientific discourse and peer review
Designing novel experiments and research methodologies
Interpreting ambiguous results with domain expertise
Ethical oversight of research involving human subjects
๐ Task Automation Breakdown
Based on O*NET task analysis and GenAI exposure scoring. Shows the estimated proportion of this occupation's core tasks that are automatable by current AI, augmented by AI tools, or require essential human skills.
๐ O*NET Task Profile
Conduct research on the structures and properties of materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and ceramics, to obtain information that could be used to develop new products or enhance existing ones.
Test metals to determine conformance to specifications of mechanical strength, strength-weight ratio, ductility, magnetic and electrical properties, and resistance to abrasion, corrosion, heat, and cold.
Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications.
Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
๐ป Technology Skills
Analytical or scientific software
Electronic mail software
Web platform development software
Data base user interface and query software
Spreadsheet software
๐ Key Knowledge Areas
Engineering and Technology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Computers and Electronics
๐ vs National Average
National avg: $46K
National avg: 44/100
National avg: 38/100
National avg: 3.7%
๐ Career Transition Paths
| Occupation | Risk | Wage | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | 13 | $226K | 69% |
| Political Scientists | 25 | $139K | 80% |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers | 21 | $93K | 78% |