Also called: Visualization Scientist, Science Data Visualizer
Turns supercomputer simulations of storms, galaxies and molecules into images and movies that scientists and the public can understand.
A climate team hands you 40 terabytes of hurricane simulation output, so you pick the variables that matter and write code to draw the storm's winds as glowing streamlines. You tweak colors and camera paths for hours. The finished movie premieres in a planetarium dome and at a science conference.
Estimated from national lab and university research staff pay.
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 computer science, graphics or a science; many have a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Computer Graphics, Physics, Data Visualization.
Growing about average. Steady demand at national labs, NASA and supercomputing centers.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds rendering and suggests visuals, but choosing what the science shows and getting it right stays human.
Classes: AP Computer Science, Art or 3D animation, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1299.
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.