Will AI replace materials engineers?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 7.5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions. (53m a shift)
• Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures. (47m a shift)
• Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality. (41m a shift)
• Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports. (36m a shift)
• Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives. (30m a shift)

On Indeed, job postings in the Mechanical Engineering sector are at 168% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 43.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,300 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $112,860 a year ($54.26 an hour), 121% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $72,300 and $175,720 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer.

BLS projects growth of 7.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 26,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 23,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 521st largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 26,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 48% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Mathematics, Operations Analysis, Complex Problem Solving
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Nanosystems Engineers (2h 16m touched, $123k median pay)
• Materials Scientists (1h 34m touched, $118k median pay)
• Fuel Cell Engineers (0m touched, $104k median pay)
• Chemical Engineers (0m touched, $125k median pay)
• Nuclear Engineers (0m touched, $134k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 21 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.