Also called: Plastics Chemist
Designs plastics, rubbers, adhesives, and fibers, including recyclable and biodegradable ones.
You link small molecules into long chains, then test how strong, stretchy, or heat-proof the material is. You might create a new shoe foam, a 3D-printing resin, or a plastic that breaks down in the ocean.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemistry; master's or PhD for research.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Growth is for chemists and materials scientists overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI suggests new polymer recipes; making and testing materials for real products stays lab work.
Classes: AP Chemistry, Physics, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2031.
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.