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National

Median wages (2008) $38.57 hourly, $80,230 annual
Employment (2006) 10,000 employees
Projected growth (2006-2016) Average (7% to 13%)
Projected need (2006-2016) 3,000 additional employees
19-2032.00 - Materials Scientists

Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and manmade 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.

Sample of reported job titles: Materials Scientist, Research Scientist, Engineer, Materials Research Engineer, Development Engineer, Product Development Manager, Technology Officer, Textile Technologist, Metallurgical Engineer, Metals Research Engineer

Tasks

  • Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials having special characteristics.
  • Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs.
  • 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.
  • Prepare reports of materials study findings for the use of other scientists and requestors.
  • Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials.
  • 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.
  • Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments.
  • Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met.
  • 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.

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Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Laboratory balances — Quartz crystal microbalances; Semi-microbalances; Ultra microbalances
Laboratory box furnaces — Box furnaces; Muffle furnaces; Nitrogen furnaces; Ultra high temperature furnaces
Scanning probe microscopes — Atomic force microscopes; Nanoscope atomic force microscopes; Scanning Kelvin probes; Scanning tunneling microscopes
Spectrometers — Auger electron spectrometers; Dielectric spectrometers; Gamma ray spectrometers; Raman scattering spectroscopes
Viscosimeters — Cone viscometers; Plate viscometers; Rotational viscometers

Technology used in this occupation:

Analytical or scientific software — Stewart Computational Chemistry MOPAC; The Mathworks MATLAB; VAMP/VASP *; Wolfram Research Mathematica
Data base user interface and query software — International Centre for Diffraction Data ICDD DDView
Presentation software — Microsoft PowerPoint
Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
Word processing software — Microsoft Word

* Software developed by a government agency and/or distributed as freeware or shareware.

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