Life, Physical, and Social Science
Materials Scientists
Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.
Also called: Applications Scientist, Materials Research Engineer, Materials Scientist, Metallurgical Engineer, Micro Electrical/Mechanical Systems Device Scientist (MEMS Device Scientist), Polymer Materials Consultant
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $132,600
- $63.75/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 700
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +2.1%
- 50 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- Bachelor's degree
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $96,310 | $103,890 | $132,600 | $145,600 | $169,330 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Conduct research on the structures and properties of materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and ceramics, to obtain information that could be used to develop new products or enhance existing ones.
- Test metals to determine conformance to specifications of mechanical strength, strength-weight ratio, ductility, magnetic and electrical properties, and resistance to abrasion, corrosion, heat, and cold.
- Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
- Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications.
- Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
- Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Higher exposure74 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 73
- Language-model AIOE 68
- GPTs-are-GPTs 82
Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)
This job has higher AI exposure, and observed AI use is already substantial. AI tools can help with research tasks like studying material properties, analyzing test data, and writing reports and proposals. Physically testing samples, finding the cause of a failure, and deciding how to build new materials still rely on people.
Likely to change
- Researching material structures and properties
- Writing reports, manuscripts, and proposals
Still relies on people
- Hands-on testing of material samples
- Finding the cause of material failures
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
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Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
0 programs near Boston (plus 1 graduate)
No programs below a master’s degree near Boston map to this job. Tick the box above to see graduate programs.
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