Also called: Instrument Principal Investigator
Designs and calibrates the cameras, spectrometers, and sensors that fly on science missions.
You decide what a new instrument must measure, work with engineers to build it, and spend weeks in labs shining known light sources into it so you can trust its data later.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. PhD in physics, astronomy, or engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Astronomy, Optical Engineering.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps design and calibrate, but building and testing instruments that fly in space stays hands-on.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Electronics class, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.