Materials Scientists
Also called: Materials Research Engineer, Materials Scientist, Research Scientist, ScientistResearch and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. 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. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 16 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 8.3% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. 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.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Chemists and materials scientists”
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $177,030 | $131,060 to $233,890 | 1,030 |
| Colorado | $117,290 | $91,030 to $134,050 | 370 |
| Connecticut | $130,320 | $80,080 to $159,990 | 50 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $137,600 | $135,540 to $137,610 | not published |
| Florida | $102,340 | $80,720 to $124,860 | 200 |
| Georgia | $91,970 | $66,950 to $117,490 | 350 |
| Illinois | $125,850 | $104,350 to $145,620 | 380 |
| Indiana | $130,540 | $82,180 to $190,640 | 320 |
| Iowa | $88,320 | $67,590 to $124,100 | 180 |
| Kansas | $115,490 | $103,630 to $134,830 | 40 |
| Maryland | $112,400 | $77,580 to $135,830 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $132,600 | $103,890 to $145,600 | 890 |
| Michigan | $107,410 | $77,160 to $161,330 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $132,160 | $101,540 to $138,320 | 290 |
| Montana | $71,810 | $55,810 to $79,450 | 50 |
| Nevada | $97,490 | $86,250 to $98,970 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $119,990 | $73,310 to $169,330 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $103,150 | $79,450 to $126,290 | 440 |
| New York | $131,740 | $106,710 to $167,640 | 530 |
| North Carolina | $106,470 | $85,580 to $133,480 | 490 |
| Ohio | $108,830 | $89,790 to $138,120 | 450 |
| Oregon | $150,550 | $129,360 to $175,340 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $106,920 | $79,700 to $123,530 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $101,930 | $88,990 to $116,510 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $69,010 | $59,780 to $85,650 | 60 |
| Texas | $72,700 | $62,510 to $114,100 | 300 |
| Utah | $126,840 | $90,430 to $171,770 | 110 |
| Virginia | $124,150 | $100,930 to $139,840 | 100 |
| Washington | $127,250 | $98,000 to $163,820 | 290 |
| Wisconsin | $137,700 | $98,160 to $154,540 | 70 |
Nationally: $117,790. 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 9 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | 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. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | 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. | Not published |
| AI alone | Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics. | Not published |
| AI alone | Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials. | under 0.01% |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write research papers for publication in scientific journals. | 0.05% |
| AI + software | Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs. | 0.03% |
| Not much | Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information. | Not published |
| AI alone | Research methods of processing, forming, and firing materials to develop such products as ceramic dental fillings, unbreakable dinner plates, and telescope lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform experiments and computer modeling to study the nature, structure, and physical and chemical properties of metals and their alloys, and their responses to applied forces. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise and monitor production processes to ensure efficient use of equipment, timely changes to specifications, and project completion within time frame and budget. | Not published |
| Not much | Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach in colleges and universities. | 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. 6 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 12 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.
- #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #27 Research technology designs or applications
- and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Research technology designs or applications | |||
| Develop research plans or methodologies | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Advise others on the design or use of technologies | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications |
Show all 12 activities
| Develop operational or technical procedures or standards | |||
| Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An academic paper or thesis44%
- An email or message18%
- A document or report14%
- An explanation or answer2%
- An analysis or summary2%
How they worked with Claude
56% 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 materials scientists 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 1,461 moves out
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 14%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
- 4 Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents Very high -1.0% 3%
- 5 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,428 moves in
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 20%
- 2 Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents Very high -1.0% 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
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
- 5% associate's
- 62% bachelor's
- 5% post-bachelor's certificate
- 10% master's
- 14% research doctorate
- 5% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 2% high school
- 2% some college
- 2% associate's
- 51% bachelor's
- 22% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 18% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Chemists and materials scientists” · 993 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 the Census group “Chemists and materials scientists”
4 programs, such as Textile Science, Materials Science and Materials Chemistry.
See all
- Textile Science
- Materials Science
- Materials Chemistry
- Materials Sciences, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
8.4% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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 · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/19-2032.00