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Summary Job Description | Tasks | |||
Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. 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. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists. | Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials having special characteristics. | |||
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Confer with customers to determine how to tailor materials to their needs. | ||||
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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. | ||||
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Prepare reports of materials study findings for the use of other scientists and requestors. | ||||
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Devise testing methods to evaluate the effects of various conditions on particular materials. | ||||
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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. | ||||
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Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments. | ||||
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Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met. | ||||
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Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information. | ||||
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Research methods of processing, forming, and firing materials to develop such products as ceramic dental fillings, unbreakable dinner plates, and telescope lenses. | ||||
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Study the nature, structure and physical properties of metals and their alloys, and their responses to applied forces. | ||||
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Monitor production processes in order to ensure that equipment is used efficiently and that projects are completed within appropriate time frames and budgets. | ||||
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Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures. | ||||
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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. | ||||
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Teach in colleges and universities. | ||||
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CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies
Material Scientists
The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.- Job Description
- Knowledges
- Skills
- Abilites
- Tools and Technology
- Education and Experience
- Alternate Job Titles
- Salaries
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Important Knowledge Competencies | Competency Description | |||
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. | |||
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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. | |||
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English Language | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. | |||
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Mathematics | Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. | |||
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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. | |||
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Production and Processing | Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Computers and Electronics | Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. | |||
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Important Skill Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Science | Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. | |||
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Reading Comprehension | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. | |||
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Speaking | Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |||
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Critical Thinking | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. | |||
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Active Listening | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |||
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Complex Problem Solving | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. | |||
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Writing | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. | |||
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Judgment and Decision Making | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. | |||
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Active Learning | Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. | |||
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Operations Analysis | Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design. | |||
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Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | |||
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Social Perceptiveness | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |||
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Coordination | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | |||
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Persuasion | Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. | |||
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Time Management | Managing one's own time and the time of others. | |||
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Instructing | Teaching others how to do something. | |||
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Systems Evaluation | Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system. | |||
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Important Ability Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Oral Comprehension | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |||
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Written Comprehension | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |||
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Oral Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |||
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Problem Sensitivity | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. | |||
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Deductive Reasoning | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |||
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Inductive Reasoning | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |||
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Written Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |||
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Near Vision | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |||
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Originality | The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | |||
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Information Ordering | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |||
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Category Flexibility | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. | |||
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Speech Recognition | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |||
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Speech Clarity | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |||
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Fluency of Ideas | The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |||
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Mathematical Reasoning | The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. | |||
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Flexibility of Closure | The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. | |||
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Visualization | The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |||
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Number Facility | The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly. | |||
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Perceptual Speed | The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. | |||
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Far Vision | The ability to see details at a distance. | |||
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Visual Color Discrimination | The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness. | |||
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Tools/Technology Example | Product Category | |||
ANSYS LS-DYNA | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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ANSYS Multiphysics | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Accelrys Materials Studio | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Advanced Chemistry Development Analytical Laboratory | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Bruker AXS EVA | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Bruker AXS LEPTOS | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Bruker AXS TOPAS | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Chempute Software HSC Chemistry | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Dassault Systemes Abaqus | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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ESM Software CrystalMaker | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Email software | Electronic mail software | |||
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GAMESS-US | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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General Structural Analysis System GSAS | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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International Centre for Diffraction Data ICDD DDView | Data base user interface and query software | |||
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Maplesoft Maple | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Materials Data Incorporated Jade | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | |||
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Microsoft Word | Word processing software | |||
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Multichannel microelectrode analyzer MMA software | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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National Instruments LabVIEW | Development environment software | |||
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Olympus analysis software | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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PANalytical X'Pert Data Collector | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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PANalytical X'Pert Epitaxy | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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PWscf | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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RIETAN | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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SolidWorks COSMOSWorks | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Stewart Computational Chemistry MOPAC | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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The MathWorks MATLAB | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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VAMP/VASP | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Web browser software | Internet browser software | |||
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Wolfram Research Mathematica | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Accelerometers | Accelerometers | |||
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Annealing ovens | Vacuum ovens | |||
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Atomic absorption AA spectroscopes | Atomic absorption AA spectrometers | |||
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Atomic force microscopes | Scanning probe microscopes | |||
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Auger electron spectrometers | Spectrometers | |||
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Backscatter detectors | Light scattering equipment | |||
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Ball mills | Laboratory mills | |||
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Ball-on-disk tribometers | Wear testers | |||
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Blungers | Laboratory mixers | |||
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Box furnaces | Laboratory box furnaces | |||
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Capacitance manometers | Manometers | |||
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Capillary rheometers | Rheometers | |||
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Charge-coupled device CCD cameras | Photo attachments for microscopes | |||
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Cold isostatic presses | Presses | |||
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Computerized numerical control CNC machining centers | Milling cutters | |||
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Cone viscometers | Viscosimeters | |||
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Contact angle goniometers | Surface tension measuring instruments | |||
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Creep testing equipment | Creep testers | |||
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Crystal growers | Crystal growing equipment | |||
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Desktop computers | Desktop computers | |||
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Diamond wafering saws | Power saws | |||
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Dielectric spectrometers | Spectrometers | |||
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Differential scanning calorimeters | Calorimeters | |||
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Differential thermal analyzers | Thermal differential analyzers | |||
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Digital oscilloscopes | Oscilloscopes | |||
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Dilatometers | Volumeters | |||
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Double push rod dilatometers | Volumeters | |||
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Dynamic actuators | Electronic actuators | |||
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Dynamic light scattering equipment | Light scattering equipment | |||
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Dynamic mechanical analyzers DMA | Thermal differential analyzers | |||
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Electrode furnaces | Laboratory box furnaces | |||
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Electrolytic etching machines | Metal markers or holders | |||
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Ellipsometers | Thickness measuring devices | |||
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Erosion testers | Abrasion testers | |||
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Extruding machines | Extruders | |||
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Fast tool servos | Milling cutters | |||
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Field emission scanning electron microscopes | Scanning electron microscopes | |||
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Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectrometers | Infrared spectrometers | |||
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Freeze dryers | Freeze dryers or lyopholizers | |||
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Fume hoods | Fume hoods or cupboards | |||
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Function generators | Signal generators | |||
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Gamma ray spectrometers | Spectrometers | |||
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Gas chromatograph mass spectrometers GC-MS | Mass spectrometers | |||
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Glove box systems | Isolation glove boxes | |||
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Grinding spindles | Power grinders | |||
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High vacuum evaporation systems | Laboratory evaporators | |||
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High-speed cutoff saws | Power saws | |||
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High-vacuum manifolds | Sampling manifolds | |||
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Horizontal tube furnaces | Tube furnaces | |||
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Hot isostatic presses | Presses | |||
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Hot mounting presses | Hydraulic press frames | |||
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Hydraulic presses | Hydraulic press frames | |||
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Imaging ellipsometers | Thickness measuring devices | |||
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Impact testers | Impact testers | |||
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Induction furnaces | Crucible furnaces | |||
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Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers ICP-MS | Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers | |||
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Industrial computed tomography CT scanners | X ray radiography examination equipment | |||
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Injection molders | Injection molding machines | |||
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Interferometric microscopes | Interferometers | |||
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Ion analyzers | Ion selective electrode ISE meters | |||
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Laboratory analytical balances | Analytical balances | |||
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Laboratory water purification systems | Ultra pure water systems | |||
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Laptop computers | Notebook computers | |||
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Laser interferometers | Interferometers | |||
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Linear variable differential transformers LVDT | Linear position sensors | |||
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Load cells | Loadcells | |||
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Macrohardness testers | Hardness testers | |||
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Manual grinders | Grinders | |||
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Metal evaporation chambers | Laboratory evaporators | |||
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Metallographic microscopes | Metallurgical microscopes | |||
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Microcalorimeters | Calorimeters | |||
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Microscope digital cameras | Photo attachments for microscopes | |||
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Mobile mass spectrometers | Mass spectrometers | |||
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Mossbauer spectroscopes | Spectrometers | |||
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Muffle furnaces | Laboratory box furnaces | |||
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Multisample autoclaves | Corrosion testers | |||
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Nanoscope atomic force microscopes | Scanning probe microscopes | |||
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Neutron reflectometers | Reflectometers | |||
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Nitrogen furnaces | Laboratory box furnaces | |||
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Optical compound microscopes | Binocular light compound microscopes | |||
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Optical profilometers | Surface testers | |||
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Peltier cooled solid-state detectors | Radiation detectors | |||
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Personal computers | Personal computers | |||
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Petrographic microscopes | Polarizing microscopes | |||
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Plasma arc melting furnaces | Induction heaters | |||
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Plate viscometers | Viscosimeters | |||
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Pore sizers | Porosimeters | |||
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Potentiostats | Potentiometers | |||
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Profilometers | Surface testers | |||
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Programmable logic controllers PLC | Microcontrollers | |||
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Pulverizers | Laboratory crushers or pulverizers | |||
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Quartz crystal microbalances | Laboratory balances | |||
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Quartz crystal thickness monitors | Thickness measuring devices | |||
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Raman scattering spectroscopes | Spectrometers | |||
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Reactive ion etchers RIE | Semiconductor testers | |||
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Rotational viscometers | Viscosimeters | |||
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Safety glasses | Safety glasses | |||
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Safety goggles | Goggles | |||
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Salt spray chambers | Corrosion testers | |||
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Scanning Kelvin probes | Scanning probe microscopes | |||
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Scanning electron microscopes SEM | Scanning electron microscopes | |||
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Scanning probe microscopes SPM | Scanning probe microscopes | |||
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Scanning tunneling microscopes STM | Scanning probe microscopes | |||
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Scratch testers | Abrasion testers | |||
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Screw injection molding machines | Injection molding machines | |||
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Secondary ion mass spectrometers SIMS | Spectrometers | |||
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Sedigraphs | Particle size measuring apparatus | |||
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Semi-microbalances | Laboratory balances | |||
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Semiautomatic grinders | Power grinders | |||
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Servohydraulic test machines | Fatigue testers | |||
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Shaker ball mills | Laboratory mills | |||
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Slurry abrasion testers | Abrasion testers | |||
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Sonic modulus testers | Ultrasonic examination equipment | |||
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Spectrofluorimeters | Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters | |||
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Spectrophotometers | Spectrophotometers | |||
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Spectrum analyzers | Frequency analyzers | |||
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Sputter deposition systems | Semiconductor process systems | |||
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Static actuators | Electronic actuators | |||
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Stereo microscopes | Stereo or dissecting light microscopes | |||
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Stylus profilometers | Roughness measuring instruments | |||
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Swaging tools | Swaging tools | |||
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Tape casters | Casting machines | |||
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Thermal gravimetric analyzers | Thermo gravimetry analyzers | |||
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Thermal spray torches | Blow torches | |||
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Theta-theta diffractometers | Diffractometers | |||
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Titanium autoclaves | Corrosion testers | |||
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Transmission electron microscopes TEM | Transmission electron microscopes | |||
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Tube furnaces | Tube furnaces | |||
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UV exposure chambers | Wear testers | |||
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Ultra high temperature furnaces | Laboratory box furnaces | |||
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Ultra microbalances | Laboratory balances | |||
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Ultraprecision lathes | Lathes | |||
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Ultrasonic analyzers | Ultrasonic examination equipment | |||
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Ultrasonic cleaners | Ultrasonic cleaning equipment | |||
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Vibrating sample magnetometers | Magnetometer geophysical instruments | |||
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Vibratory polishers | Tumblers or polishers | |||
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X ray diffractometers | X ray diffraction equipment | |||
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X ray generators | X ray generators | |||
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Prerequisite Qualification Category | Education and Experience Level | |||
Required Level of Education | Master's Degree | |||
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On-the-Job Training | Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year | |||
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On-Site or In-Plant Training | Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year | |||
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Related Work Experience | Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years | |||
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On-the-Job Training | Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years | |||
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Related Work Experience | Over 10 years | |||
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On-Site or In-Plant Training | Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months | |||
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Alternate Job Title(s) | |||
Development Engineer | |||
Engineer | |||
Materials Engineer | |||
Materials Lab Technician | |||
Materials Research Engineer | |||
Materials Scientist | |||
Metal Alloy Scientist | |||
Metallurgical Engineer | |||
Metals Research Engineer | |||
Microelectricalmechanical Systems Device Scientist (MEMS Device Scientist) | |||
Nanotechnologist | |||
Plastics Scientist | |||
Polymer Materials Consultant | |||
Polymer Specialist | |||
Product Development Manager | |||
Professor | |||
Research Associate | |||
Research Professor | |||
Research Scientist | |||
Research and Development Scientist (R and D Scientist) | |||
Technology Officer | |||
Textile Technologist | |||
Thin Film Development Engineer | |||
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