Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.
U.S. Workers
14,740
Median Salary
$127,520
10-Year Growth
-1.1%
Annual Openings
800
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
19 of 20 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.
Recommend preventive measures to be taken in the handling of nuclear technology, based on data obtained from operations monitoring or from evaluation of test results.
AI: Fully automatable - AI systems in 2025 can synthesize monitoring and test data to recommend preventive measures with high technical fidelity, though human review is still required for legal and safety sign-off.
Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can draft clear operational instructions and procedures from technical specifications and regulations, producing documents ready for expert validation and approval.
Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can rapidly generate thorough draft environmental impact statements, reports, and presentations from data and models, though final approval and legal responsibility remain with humans.
Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can synthesize test results, perform statistical analyses and write technical reports of findings and recommendations that are often publication-ready pending expert review.
Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent study and research.
AI: Fully automatable - AI systems can fully automate literature monitoring, summarization, and synthesis of technical developments to keep practitioners current.
Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
AI: Partial - AI can detect anomalies and recommend or automatically trigger safety interlocks, but the authority and legal responsibility to order plant shutdowns in emergencies are still typically retained by humans and regulated procedures.
Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or that could jeopardize the safety of operations.
AI: Partial - AI can continuously monitor operations and flag potential safety or regulatory violations using sensor and design data, but definitive identification, enforcement action, and legal judgment need human engineers and inspectors.
Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
AI: Partial - AI can perform detailed design, optimization, and simulation for reactor cores, shielding, and control systems, yet final design development, validation, and regulatory certification require expert human oversight.
Examine accidents to obtain data that can be used to design preventive measures.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze accident data, detect patterns, and suggest hypotheses but cannot perform physical onsite evidence collection or legally take full investigative responsibility.
Direct operating or maintenance activities of operational nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
AI: Partial - AI can provide decision support, scheduling, and anomaly detection but cannot autonomously assume legal/operator authority to direct plant operations or physical maintenance.
Conduct environmental studies related to topics such as nuclear power generation, nuclear waste disposal, or nuclear weapon deployment.
AI: Partial - AI can perform modeling, data analysis, and literature synthesis for environmental studies but cannot perform physical field sampling or fully replace human-led multidisciplinary fieldwork.
Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
AI: Partial - AI can monitor compliance metrics, flag issues, and generate action plans, but cannot assume regulatory authority or fully manage on-the-ground compliance activities without human oversight.
Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
AI: Partial - AI can design remediation strategies, run simulations, and contribute significant analysis, but cannot fully execute or take regulatory responsibility for complex field remediation planning alone.
Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize performance of existing plants.
AI: Partial - AI can design experiments, simulate fuel behavior and equipment performance, and analyze test data to optimize plants, but it cannot physically conduct tests in nuclear facilities or replace licensed test operators.
Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors or power plants or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
AI: Partial - AI can generate designs, run simulations, and support operational decisions, but cannot assume legal responsibility, on-site oversight, or handle emergent safety-critical decisions without human leadership.
Design or direct nuclear research projects to test or modify theoretical models, develop new theoretical models, or discover new uses for current models.
AI: Partial - AI can propose and analyze theoretical models and experimental designs and suggest novel directions, but directing high-risk nuclear research and validating breakthroughs still requires human expertise and oversight.
Design fuel cycle models or processes to reduce the quantity of radioactive waste generated from nuclear activities.
AI: Partial - AI can design and optimize fuel-cycle models and process alternatives via simulation, yet implementation, regulatory compliance, and ultimate validation require human engineering judgment and approvals.
Consult with other scientists to determine parameters of experimentation or suitability of analytical models.
AI: Partial - AI can recommend experimental parameters and evaluate model suitability, but interactive multidisciplinary consultation and final decision-making remain human-driven.
Discuss construction project proposals with interested parties, such as vendors, contractors, or nuclear facility review boards.
AI: Partial - AI can prepare, simulate, and participate in discussions and generate responses for stakeholders, but cannot assume responsibility for negotiations or regulatory sign-off in construction oversight.
Perform experiments that will provide information about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, or waste disposal.
AI: Not automatable - AI cannot physically conduct hands-on experiments with nuclear materials or perform on-site manipulations required for real-world nuclear-material experiments.