Biomaterials Scientist: Creates materials that can safely go inside the human body, like implants, stents, and artificial skin. Typical pay $115k.
Crystallographer: Figures out exactly how atoms are arranged inside crystals, from minerals to medicines. Typical pay $115k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Materials Engineer: Chooses and develops the right materials for products like cars, medical implants, and rockets. Typical pay $108k.
Metallurgist: Specializes in metals: how to melt, mix, shape, and heat-treat them for the best properties. Typical pay $102k.
Ceramic Engineer: Develops heat-proof ceramics for spacecraft, armor, electronics, and dental crowns. Typical pay $100k.
Glass Scientist: Invents new kinds of glass, like the scratch-resistant screens on phones and bendable glass. Typical pay $105k.
Composites Engineer: Designs carbon fiber and fiberglass parts for planes, race cars, bikes, and wind turbines. Typical pay $98k.
Corrosion Engineer: Fights rust and decay in bridges, pipelines, ships, and power plants. Typical pay $105k.
Failure Analysis Engineer: Investigates why things broke, from cracked airplane parts to exploding phone batteries. Typical pay $100k.
Rheologist: Studies how things flow and deform, like toothpaste, paint, chocolate, lava, and concrete. Typical pay $100k.
Textile Scientist: Develops high-tech fabrics, from sweat-wicking athletic wear to fire-resistant suits and bulletproof vests. Typical pay $78k.
Electron Microscopist: Operates powerful microscopes that can see individual atoms. Typical pay $85k.
Nondestructive Testing Technician: Finds hidden cracks in planes, pipelines, and bridges using ultrasound, X-rays, and magnetic particles, without damaging them. Typical pay $60k.
Starter: fastest way in
Metallographer: Cuts, polishes, and etches metal samples so their hidden grain structure can be photographed. Typical pay $52k.
Materials Testing Technician: Pulls, crushes, bends, and heats materials to measure their strength. Typical pay $52k.
Heat Treating Technician: Runs furnaces that heat and cool metal parts to make them harder or tougher. Typical pay $45k.
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.