Also called: Conservation Imaging Specialist, Museum Imaging Scientist
Uses X-rays, infrared, and UV light to photograph artworks and reveal hidden sketches, old repairs, and fakes under the paint.
A technical imaging specialist sets up an infrared camera in front of a 400-year-old painting and finds the artist's first sketch hidden underneath. They also stitch together hundreds of ultra-sharp photos and X-ray images that conservators use to plan treatments.
Approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in imaging science, photography, or chemistry, plus museum lab training.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Imaging Science, Photography, Chemistry.
Growing about average. Few jobs, mostly at large museums.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Imaging software and AI help analyze scans; setting up delicate shoots and reading the results stays specialized.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-4021.
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.