Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
U.S. Workers
100,870
Median Salary
$161,180
10-Year Growth
+3.7%
Annual Openings
8,500
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
16 of 16 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can reliably synthesize project activities, generate and review research and operational reports, detect inconsistencies, and format findings at a level that can fully automate routine report preparation and review workflows.
Prepare project proposals.
AI: Fully automatable - AI in 2025 is capable of autonomously producing high-quality project proposals, including technical descriptions, budgets, schedules, and risk assessments, given appropriate inputs.
Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.
AI: Partial - AI can prepare technical briefs, run simulations, and support planning, yet live conferences, regulatory negotiation, and nuanced technical assistance still require human domain experts.
Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.
AI: Partial - AI can generate proposals, presentations, and status updates and help explain findings, but building and maintaining client relationships and handling sensitive negotiations remain predominantly human tasks.
Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.
AI: Partial - AI can optimize schedules, model project plans, and provide decision support, but it cannot fully assume the leadership, accountability, and complex interpersonal coordination required to direct R&D or production activities.
Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze data, synthesize options, and propose detailed plans from broad outlines but lacks the full strategic judgment and accountability humans exercise in final goal-setting.
Develop or implement policies, standards, or procedures for the architectural, scientific, or technical work performed to ensure regulatory compliance or operations enhancement.
AI: Partial - AI can draft, check for regulatory consistency, and suggest implementations for policies and standards, but human experts are still needed for final ratification and handling liability-sensitive nuances.
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
AI: Partial - AI can screen candidates, monitor performance metrics, and generate evaluation summaries, but cannot fully perform the interpersonal supervision, legal hiring decisions, or nuanced judgments required of managers.
Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
AI: Partial - AI can design phased problem analyses, propose solutions, and generate test plans, yet coordinating dynamic stakeholder interactions and adaptive leadership remains a human-led activity.
Recruit personnel or oversee the development or maintenance of staff competence.
AI: Partial - AI can manage recruitment pipelines and create personalized training and competency-tracking programs, but oversight of personnel development and career decisions requires human management.
Provide for stewardship of plant or animal resources or habitats, studying land use, monitoring animal populations, or providing shelter, resources, or medical treatment for animals.
AI: Partial - AI can perform monitoring, analysis, and routine management of habitats and animal populations and assist in diagnostics, yet hands-on stewardship, medical treatments, and ethically complex decisions require human professionals.
Conduct own research in field of expertise.
AI: Partial - AI can perform literature reviews, data analysis, and hypothesis generation, but cannot independently conduct hands-on experiments or fieldwork and lacks the full autonomy to lead novel empirical research across all sciences.
Prepare and administer budgets, approve and review expenditures, and prepare financial reports.
AI: Partial - AI can prepare budgets, monitor expenditures, and generate financial reports automatically, but approving expenditures and making strategic financial trade-offs typically require human authority.
Make presentations at professional meetings to further knowledge in the field.
AI: Partial - AI can generate and even deliver polished presentations and supporting materials to disseminate knowledge, but genuine professional networking, credibility, and live interactive Q&A benefit from human presence.
Develop innovative technology or train staff for its implementation.
AI: Partial - AI can accelerate technology development by proposing designs and automating training programs for implementation, but originating breakthrough innovations and leading technical adoption still need human creativity and leadership.
Advise or assist in obtaining patents or meeting other legal requirements.
AI: Partial - AI can perform prior-art searches and draft patent-related documents but cannot provide licensed legal advice or complete legal filings without human attorney oversight.