Also called: Radiation Hardness Engineer
Makes sure computer chips and electronics survive the radiation of space.
You take circuit boards to a particle accelerator, blast them with heavy ions at 2 a.m. (that's when beam time is available), and watch for glitches. Then you advise designers which parts are tough enough to fly.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in electrical engineering or physics; master's common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps predict chip radiation hardness; beam testing at labs and qualification decisions stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, Electronics class, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
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.