Takeover Tracker
31%medium risk
Nuclear Engineers
vs

64 shared · 21 different

core competencies

34%medium risk
Materials Scientists

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricNuclear EngineersMaterials Scientists
Risk Score31.3%34.3%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile46th63th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)4 / 158 / 15
Median Salary$127,520$104,160
Employment15K8K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Thinking Creatively
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Operation Monitoring
Public Safety and Security
Chemistry
Developing Objectives and Strategies
Design
Problem Sensitivity
Systems Evaluation
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Operations Analysis

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Nuclear Engineers

31%

total discount

Materials Scientists

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Nuclear Engineers

4 of 15 at risk
86%Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
75%Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
74%Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
51%Design or direct nuclear research projects to test or modify theoretical models, develop new theoretical models, or discover new uses for current models.
49%Examine accidents to obtain data that can be used to design preventive measures.

Materials Scientists

8 of 15 at risk
77%Test individual parts and products to ensure that manufacturer and governmental quality and safety standards are met.
70%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.
68%Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
55%Recommend materials for reliable performance in various environments.
53%Write research papers for publication in scientific journals.

Wage Comparison

Materials Scientists earns -$23,360(-18%) vs Nuclear Engineers
Nuclear EngineersMaterials Scientists
10th
$88,290$61,460
25th
$103,010$79,980
Median
$127,520$104,160
75th
$157,600$134,140
90th
$187,430$168,500

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Nuclear Engineers2028–2035
Materials Scientists2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Nuclear Engineers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Materials Scientists.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Nuclear Engineers

$87,670

from $127,520

Materials Scientists

$68,464

from $104,160

After adjusting for AI risk, Nuclear Engineers offers $19,206 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Nuclear

0

Unique to Materials

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Fine Manipulation
Regulatory Barriers
Creativity
Decision Complexity
Nuclear EngineersMaterials Scientists
Find transitions from Nuclear EngineersFind transitions from Materials Scientists