Also called: Repository Geoscientist, Spent Fuel Specialist
Figures out how to store used nuclear fuel safely for thousands of years.
You study how canisters corrode, model how groundwater moves through deep rock, and help design storage that must work longer than human history so far.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. Master's or PhD in geology, chemistry, or nuclear engineering.
Ways in: Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geology, Nuclear Engineering, Chemistry.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds geologic modeling; long-term safety cases need human scientists to defend them to regulators.
Classes: AP Chemistry, Earth science, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2042.
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.