Materials Scientists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
• 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.
• Supervise and monitor production processes to ensure efficient use of equipment, timely changes to specifications, and project completion within time frame and budget.
• Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics.
• Perform experiments and computer modeling to study the nature, structure, and physical and chemical properties of metals and their alloys, and their responses to applied forces.
• Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
• Research methods of processing, forming, and firing materials to develop such products as ceramic dental fillings, unbreakable dinner plates, and telescope lenses.
• Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met.
• Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials.
• Write research papers for publication in scientific journals.
• Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments.
• 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.
• 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.
• Teach in colleges and universities.
• Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs.
• Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information.

Skills

• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

Abilities

• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

Knowledge

• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Materials Science
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

110470/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

53.11/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

540

Yearly Projected Openings

60

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

• Analytical Thinking
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Innovation
• Persistence
• Achievement/Effort

Tools

• Abrasion testers
• Accelerometers
• Analytical balances
• Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Blow torch
• Calorimeters
• Casting machines
• Corrosion testers
• Creep testers
• Crucible furnaces
• Crystal growing equipment
• Desktop computers
• Diffractometers
• Electronic actuators
• Extruders
• Fatigue testers
• Freeze dryers or lyopholizers
• Frequency analyzers
• Fume hoods or cupboards
• Goggles
• Grinders
• Hardness testers
• Horizontal turning center
• Hydraulic press frames
• Impact testers
• Induction heaters
• Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers
• Infrared spectrometers
• Injection molding machines
• Interferometers
• Ion selective electrode ISE meters
• Isolation glove boxes
• Laboratory balances
• Laboratory box furnaces
• Laboratory crushers or pulverizers
• Laboratory evaporators
• Laboratory mills
• Laboratory mixers
• Light scattering equipment
• Linear position sensors
• Loadcells
• Magnetometers
• Manometers
• Mass spectrometers
• Metal markers or holders
• Metallurgical microscopes
• Microcontrollers
• Milling machines
• Notebook computers
• Oscilloscopes
• Particle size measuring apparatus
• Personal computers
• Photo attachments for microscopes
• Polarizing microscopes
• Porosimeters
• Potentiometers
• Power grinders
• Power saws
• Presses
• Radiation detectors
• Reflectometers
• Rheometers
• Roughness measuring instruments
• Safety glasses
• Sampling manifolds
• Scanning electron microscopes
• Scanning probe microscopes
• Semiconductor process systems
• Signal generators
• Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
• Spectrometers
• Spectrophotometers
• Stereo or dissecting light microscopes
• Surface tension measuring instruments
• Surface testers
• Swaging tools
• Thermal differential analyzers
• Thermo gravimetry analyzers
• Thickness measuring devices
• Transmission electron microscopes
• Tube furnaces
• Tumblers or polishers
• Ultra pure water systems
• Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
• Ultrasonic examination equipment
• Vacuum ovens
• Viscosimeters
• Volumeters
• Wear testers
• X ray diffraction equipment
• X ray generators
• X ray radiography examination equipment

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Development environment software
• Electronic mail software
• Internet browser software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software