Materials Research Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Materials Research Engineer researches materials and works to discover materials that may be used in new and emerging technologies and support innovation. Identifies new or different combinations of materials to improve product performance and durability.
Job Outlook
There were 18 Materials Research Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 746 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Materials Engineer industry, which includes the Materials Research Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Materials Research Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $101,473.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $101,473.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Materials Research Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $86,231.
Education and Experience
Posted Materials Research Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 1.47% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 54.29% |
| Master's Degree | 48.39% |
| Doctoral Degree | 56.7% |
| Other | 1.07% |
Posted Materials Research Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 24.19% |
| 3 to 5 years | 41.86% |
| 6 to 8 years | 16.98% |
| 9+ years | 16.98% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Materials Research Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (58.04%)
- Innovation (28.02%)
- Communication (27.61%)
- Presentations (27.35%)
- Writing (20.11%)
- Self-Motivation (19.84%)
- Detail Oriented (19.03%)
- Leadership (18.5%)
- Problem Solving (16.89%)
- Verbal Communication Skills (12.6%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Data Analysis (23.49%)
- Chemical Engineering (38.54%)
- Physics (24.61%)
- Chemistry (42.9%)
- Materials Science (86.5%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Semiconductors (9.7%)
- Project Management (17.3%)
- Process Development (9%)
- Supply Chain (17.02%)
- Python (Programming Language) (7.03%)
- Polymer Chemistry (16.88%)
- New Product Development (16.6%)
- Raman Spectroscopy (12.94%)
- Optics (6.75%)
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (13.36%)
- X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (9.7%)
- Electrical Engineering (7.17%)
- Mechanical Engineering (10.55%)
- Particle Size Analysis (6.47%)
- Experimental Data (4.22%)
- Procurement (9.85%)
- Experimental Design (9.14%)
- Metallurgy (6.89%)
- Automation (5.49%)
- Analytical Techniques (13.64%)
- Search Engine Marketing (21.38%)
- Biopharmaceuticals (8.16%)
- Spectroscopy (13.64%)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (9.7%)
- Manufacturing Processes (7.31%)
- Pharmaceuticals (4.22%)
- Material Selection (9.85%)
- Analytical Chemistry (10.13%)
- Ceramic Materials (6.33%)
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) (9%)
- Experimentation (12.66%)
- Materials Engineering (8.72%)
- Metal Coating (2.11%)
- Collaborative Research (5.63%)
- Laboratory Experience (3.66%)
- Research And Development (11.25%)
- Composite Materials (10.41%)
- X-Ray Fluorescence (7.17%)
- Technical Presentations (7.45%)
- Technical Writing (4.5%)
- Atomic Force Microscopy (7.03%)
- Research Experiences (4.22%)
- Material Characterization (13.5%)
- Physical Science (0.84%)
- Thermal Analysis (3.94%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Profilometer (5.06%)
- Protein Sequencing (2.81%)
- Ellipsometry (5.91%)
- Rheology (4.5%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Ellipsometry (20%)
- Physics (83.33%)
- Rheology (15.24%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Materials Research Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Materials Scientist
- Scientist
- Principal Scientist
- Associate Scientist
- Materials Researcher
- Materials Science Intern
- Research and Development Scientist
- Staff Scientist
- PhD Researcher
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Materials Engineer (General)
- Materials Development Engineer
- Polymer Chemist
- Research and Development Chemist
- Chemist (General)
- Ceramic Engineer
- Manufacturing Chemist
- Chemical Engineer (General)
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Materials Research Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Bristol-Myers Squibb (48)
- Intel (32)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (24)
- Kimberly-Clark (15)
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (14)
- Eurofins (12)
- Elite Protek (11)
- Sandia Corporation (9)
- Formlabs (9)
- Pennsylvania State University (8)
North Carolina
- Amerit Consulting (2)
- Rimkus Consulting Group (2)
- Integrated Resources (1)
- Pvd (1)
- Radiant Systems (1)
- Fiber Composites (1)
- Albemarle (1)
- Biomason (1)
- Piper Maddox (1)
- ABB (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.