Occupation Details
Materials Scientists
Research 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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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Independence
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$77,640.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$124,100.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$145,270.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
320
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
350
+3 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
33
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.1%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
More School - Graduate or advanced degree
Experience Requirements
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education Requirements
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training Details
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, physician assistants, and veterinarians.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Chemistry
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Analytical Thinking
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Innovation
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Accelerometers
- Annealing ovens
- Atomic absorption AA spectroscopes
- Atomic force microscopes
- Auger electron spectrometers
- Backscatter detectors
- Ball mills
- Ball-on-disk tribometers
- Blungers
- Box furnaces
- Capacitance manometers
- Capillary rheometers
- Charge-coupled device CCD cameras
- Cold isostatic presses
- Computerized numerical control CNC machining centers
- Cone viscometers
- Contact angle goniometers
- Creep testing equipment
- Crystal growers
- Desktop computers
- Diamond wafering saws
- Dielectric spectrometers
- Differential scanning calorimeters
- Differential thermal analyzers
- Digital oscilloscopes
- Double push rod dilatometers
- Dynamic actuators
- Dynamic light scattering equipment
- Dynamic mechanical analyzers DMA
- Electrode furnaces
Technology
- Dassault Systemes Abaqus
- Email software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- International Centre for Diffraction Data ICDD DDView
- Materials Data Incorporated Jade
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Multichannel microelectrode analyzer MMA software
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- PWscf
- R
- VAMP/VASP
- Web browser software
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- maintain records, reports, or files
- prepare reports
- prepare technical reports or related documentation
- use laboratory equipment
- direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
- direct implementation of new procedures, policies, or programs
- communicate technical information
- make presentations
- confer with scientists
- adhere to safety procedures
- advise clients or customers
- recommend further study or action based on research data
- advise governmental or industrial personnel
- write research or project grant proposals
- write business project or bid proposals
- develop policies, procedures, methods, or standards
- develop plans for programs or projects
- plan scientific research or investigative studies
- explain complex mathematical information
- write scholarly or technical research papers
- present research papers or dissertations on physical science issues
- confer with research personnel
- confer with engineering, technical or manufacturing personnel
- identify properties of rocks or minerals
- recognize characteristics of metals
- use chemical testing or analysis procedures
- use chemical processing emergency procedures
- use hazardous materials information
- use metal processing methodology
- use scientific research methodology
- follow safe waste disposal procedures
- use teaching techniques
- use knowledge of investigation techniques
- use knowledge of materials testing procedures
- use mathematical or statistical methods to identify or analyze problems
- use physical science research techniques
- use quantitative research methods
- use library or online Internet research techniques
- record test results, test procedures, or inspection data
- develop tables depicting data
- classify plants, animals, or other natural phenomena
- develop new products based on scientific research results
- develop scientific or mathematical hypotheses, theories, or laws
- use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
- use relational database software
- use spreadsheet software
- use word processing or desktop publishing software
- develop or maintain databases
- make decisions
- resolve engineering or science problems
- collect scientific or technical data
- collect statistical data
- analyze scientific research data or investigative findings
- analyze chemical experimental, test, or analysis data or findings
- conduct laboratory research or experiments
- conduct standardized qualitative laboratory analyses
- conduct standardized quantitative laboratory analyses
- perform statistical analysis in physical science or geological research
- forecast or predict phenomena based upon research data
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- 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.
- 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.
- Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics.
- Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials.
- Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
- 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.
- Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments.
- Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
- 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 individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met.
- Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs.
- Write research papers for publication in scientific journals.
- Supervise and monitor production processes to ensure efficient use of equipment, timely changes to specifications, and project completion within time frame and budget.
- Teach in colleges and universities.
- Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information.
- Research methods of processing, forming, and firing materials to develop such products as ceramic dental fillings, unbreakable dinner plates, and telescope lenses.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Chemists and materials scientists
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
Learn MoreColumbia University Summer Program For High School Students, Junior - Senior Division
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Learn MoreMRSEC NYC High School Visitation Program
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Learn MoreMRSEC NYC High School Visitation Program
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Learn MoreMaterials Research Society:The Materials Gateway
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Learn MoreMaterials Science and Engineering Careers and Resources
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Learn MoreMaterials World Modules (MWM)
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Learn MoreResearch Experience for Teachers (RET) I and II
This six-week program provides middle and high school science teachers with the opportunity to work with researchers and equipment at the cutting edge of materials innovation and discovery. Utilizing laboratories that specialize in electron and optical microscopy, ion beam analysis, polymer characterization, and x-ray diffraction, teachers work together to develop a solution to a specific research question. The final week of the program is devoted to formulating new curriculum for practical use.
Learn MoreResearch Summer Scholar Program for High School Students
The Summer Research Scholar Program is an intensive seven week research program for 11th and 12th grade students who are interested in Physics, Chemistry, and Bioengineering. Students create independent projects with guidance from Garcia Center faculty and graduate students. The program teaches the students to perform original research, analyze scientific data, and use state of-the-art instrumentation
Learn MoreSchool Outreach Programs:Magnets To Go
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Learn MoreService Science, Management and Engineering (SSME)
Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) is a new multi-disciplinary research and academic effort that integrates aspects of established fields such as computer science, operations research, engineering, management sciences, business strategy, social and cognitive sciences, and legal sciences.
Learn MoreStrange Matter
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Learn MoreSue Files
Check out this web-based curriculum designed to put students in the shoes of a paleontologist studying Sue, the largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. Although the scenario presented on this site is fictitious and designed to be an engaging story, all the scientific information regarding Sue the T. rex and the science of paleontology is completely accurate.
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