SOC 19-2032
Materials Scientists
Risk Score
⚠️35/100
Moderate
US Employment
👥8,330
Total workers
Median Wage
💰$104K
$61K – $169K
Projected Growth
📈+4.9%
2023-2033 (BLS)
GenAI Exposure
🤖67/100
High exposure
💡 Materials Scientists face a risk score of 35/100 — 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 →
💡 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 →
🔍 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 →
⚠️ Top Risk Factors
AI coding assistants reducing developer demand
AI-powered research and literature review tools
Chatbot displacement of customer-facing interactions
🛡️ 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
📊 vs National Average
National avg: $46K
National avg: 44/100
National avg: 38/100
National avg: 3.7%
🔄 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% |