Materials Scientists

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

No strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• 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.57
• Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information.51
• 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.50

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Write research papers for publication in scientific journals.27
• Teach in colleges and universities.34

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 45 puts Materials Scientists in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 0 of 16 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 14 augmentable, and 2 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: adopt AI deliberately on the augmentable tasks and build visible evidence of the durable ones.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $117,790median wage
• 8,470employed
• 600annual openings
• +4.6%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Materials Engineers 43
• Nanosystems Engineers 45
• Microsystems Engineers 45
• Chemical Engineers 49
• Mechanical Engineer 30
• Chemists 59

FAQ — Materials Scientists

What does a score of 45 mean for a Materials Scientists?

It means that, weighted across the 16 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 45 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

This role has no strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Write research papers for publication in scientific journals; Teach in colleges and universities. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.