Natural Sciences Managers
Also called: Chemical Process Exploration Manager, Environmental Program Manager, Natural Sciences Manager, Research and Development Director (R and D Director)Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 16 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 8.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Natural sciences managers”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 54% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $133,470 | $102,860 to $168,680 | 370 |
| Alaska | $130,590 | $105,110 to $150,920 | 710 |
| Arizona | $124,920 | $87,660 to $161,890 | 900 |
| Arkansas | $119,430 | $87,540 to $170,890 | 340 |
| California | $210,230 | $167,630 to $304,380 | 14,950 |
| Colorado | $152,730 | $121,090 to $210,340 | 1,640 |
| Connecticut | $210,670 | $170,560 to $259,720 | 1,190 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 440 |
| District of Columbia | $156,730 | $126,730 to $185,220 | 1,540 |
| Florida | $112,220 | $77,150 to $165,110 | 4,370 |
| Hawaii | $107,810 | $79,640 to $136,940 | 510 |
| Idaho | $124,800 | $101,880 to $176,570 | 610 |
| Illinois | $159,670 | $115,190 to $208,440 | 2,810 |
| Indiana | $108,250 | $66,850 to $164,640 | 1,670 |
| Iowa | $109,760 | $82,550 to $157,260 | 610 |
| Kansas | $153,820 | $121,590 to $190,420 | 240 |
| Kentucky | $126,440 | $86,560 to $173,620 | 400 |
| Louisiana | $115,950 | $93,610 to $146,990 | not published |
| Maine | $141,360 | $103,600 to $186,560 | 430 |
| Maryland | $168,620 | $141,530 to $200,510 | 4,820 |
| Massachusetts | $267,290 | $214,550 to $321,770 | 10,590 |
| Michigan | $129,070 | $98,300 to $169,290 | 2,220 |
| Minnesota | $136,450 | $104,430 to $185,540 | 1,530 |
| Mississippi | $119,430 | $99,990 to $153,570 | 210 |
| Missouri | $129,410 | $86,600 to $173,260 | 1,230 |
| Montana | $119,430 | $104,110 to $145,270 | 370 |
| Nebraska | $120,620 | $82,640 to $145,610 | 550 |
| Nevada | $112,260 | $82,020 to $141,670 | 320 |
| New Hampshire | $134,010 | $108,940 to $172,400 | 240 |
| New Jersey | $207,030 | $169,560 to $281,510 | 10,040 |
| New Mexico | not published | not published | 400 |
| New York | $134,680 | $80,480 to $193,690 | 5,690 |
| North Carolina | $173,870 | $134,460 to $216,510 | 6,010 |
| North Dakota | $131,370 | $110,020 to $166,000 | 140 |
| Ohio | $137,170 | $105,020 to $168,600 | 1,560 |
| Oklahoma | $112,260 | $79,680 to $145,270 | 310 |
| Oregon | $143,120 | $124,190 to $202,460 | 1,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $137,900 | $83,960 to $219,230 | 7,980 |
| Puerto Rico | $119,430 | $91,560 to $135,060 | 90 |
| Rhode Island | $130,480 | $79,810 to $165,080 | 200 |
| South Carolina | $131,140 | $96,700 to $178,900 | 780 |
| South Dakota | $128,140 | $106,470 to $151,830 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $124,530 | $96,630 to $180,570 | 880 |
| Texas | $129,960 | $91,950 to $165,800 | 7,470 |
| Utah | $119,430 | $82,880 to $160,260 | not published |
| Vermont | $131,290 | $97,620 to $173,170 | 290 |
| Virginia | $150,570 | $110,300 to $185,220 | 1,470 |
| Washington | $182,480 | $142,130 to $223,260 | 2,490 |
| West Virginia | $138,010 | $115,920 to $161,120 | 160 |
| Wisconsin | $128,890 | $107,660 to $163,320 | 1,070 |
| Wyoming | $109,300 | $106,330 to $119,430 | 150 |
Nationally: $167,220. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 12 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance. | Not published |
| AI alone | Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan or direct research, development, or production activities. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| AI + software | Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare project proposals. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Develop or implement policies, standards, or procedures for the architectural, scientific, or technical work performed to ensure regulatory compliance or operations enhancement. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct own research in field of expertise. | Not published |
| Not much | Recruit personnel or oversee the development or maintenance of staff competence. | Not published |
| AI + software | Make presentations at professional meetings to further knowledge in the field. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare and administer budgets, approve and review expenditures, and prepare financial reports. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop innovative technology or train staff for its implementation. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise or assist in obtaining patents or meeting other legal requirements. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Provide for stewardship of plant or animal resources or habitats, studying land use, monitoring animal populations, or providing shelter, resources, or medical treatment for animals. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 24 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Research technology designs or applications | |||
| Research biological or ecological phenomena |
Show all 24 activities
| Advise others on legal or regulatory matters | |||
| Develop professional relationships or networks | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities | |||
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Develop organizational or program goals or objectives | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Advise others on environmental sustainability or green practices | |||
| Manage human resources activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Authorize business activities or transactions |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report34%
- An explanation or answer12%
- An analysis or summary10%
- A plan or strategy8%
- Advice or a recommendation7%
How they worked with Claude
71% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for natural sciences managers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 54,579 moves out
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 13%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
- 5 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 63,701 moves in
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 18%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists Very high +12.6% 5%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 7% associate's
- 35% bachelor's
- 2% post-bachelor's certificate
- 15% master's
- 14% research doctorate
- 27% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 3% some college
- 3% associate's
- 41% bachelor's
- 28% master's
- 5% professional degree
- 16% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 417 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
149 programs, such as Engineering Physics/Applied Physics, Operations Research and Biology/Biological Sciences, General.
See all
- Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
- Operations Research
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Biochemistry
- Biophysics
- Molecular Biology
- Molecular Biochemistry
- Molecular Biophysics
- Structural Biology
- Photobiology
- Radiation Biology/Radiobiology
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
- Botany/Plant Biology
- Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
- Plant Physiology
- Botany/Plant Biology, Other
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- Anatomy
- Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
- Microbiology, General
- Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- Virology
- Parasitology
- Immunology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other
- Zoology/Animal Biology
- Entomology
- Animal Physiology
- Zoology/Animal Biology, Other
- Molecular Genetics
- Animal Genetics
- Plant Genetics
- Genome Sciences/Genomics
- Genetics, Other
- Pathology/Experimental Pathology
- Aerospace Physiology and Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
- Biometry/Biometrics
- Biostatistics
- Computational Biology
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
- Biotechnology
- Ecology
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
- Molecular Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Neuroanatomy
- Neurobiology and Anatomy
- Neurobiology and Behavior
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
- Mathematics, General
- Algebra and Number Theory
- Analysis and Functional Analysis
- Geometry/Geometric Analysis
- Topology and Foundations
- Mathematics, Other
- Applied Mathematics, General
- Computational Mathematics
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Financial Mathematics
- Mathematical Biology
- Applied Mathematics, Other
- Statistics, General
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Statistics, Other
- Applied Statistics, General
- Mathematics and Statistics, Other
- Biological and Physical Sciences
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Biopsychology
- Science, Technology and Society
- Natural Sciences
- Nutrition Sciences
- Cognitive Science, General
- Cognitive Science, Other
- Human Biology
- Computational Science
- Marine Sciences
- Sustainability Studies
- Anthrozoology
- Climate Science
- Earth Systems Science
- Environmental Geosciences
- Geobiology
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- Mathematical Economics
- Mathematics and Atmospheric/Oceanic Science
- Data Science, General
- Data Science, Other
- Logic
- Physical Sciences, General
- Astronomy
- Astrophysics
- Planetary Astronomy and Science
- Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Climatology
- Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics
- Meteorology
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other
- Chemistry, General
- Analytical Chemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Polymer Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
- Environmental Chemistry
- Forensic Chemistry
- Theoretical Chemistry
- Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics
- Chemistry, Other
- Geology/Earth Science, General
- Geochemistry
- Geophysics and Seismology
- Paleontology
- Hydrology and Water Resources Science
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
- Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other
- Physics, General
- Atomic/Molecular Physics
- Elementary Particle Physics
- Plasma and High-Temperature Physics
- Nuclear Physics
- Optics/Optical Sciences
- Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
- Acoustics
- Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
- Physics, Other
- Materials Chemistry
- Materials Sciences, Other
- Physics and Astronomy
- Physical Sciences, Other
- Medical Science/Scientist
- Clinical and Industrial Drug Development
- Research and Development Management
- Research Administration
- Science/Technology Management
- History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
24.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/11-9121.00