Architecture and Engineering · Holland code IRC

Nanosystems Engineers

Design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.

Also called: Process Development Engineer, Research Engineer.

O*NET 17-2199.09

At a glance

US median annual pay: $122,930; Middle half earn $90,970 to $158,090. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 57% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Provide scientific or technical guidance or expertise to scientists, engineers, technologists, technicians, or others, using knowledge of chemical, analytical, or biological processes as applied to micro and nanoscale systems.
Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
Conduct research related to a range of nanotechnology topics, such as packaging, heat transfer, fluorescence detection, nanoparticle dispersion, hybrid systems, liquid systems, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, optoelectronics, or nanolithography.
Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.
Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.
Write proposals to secure external funding or to partner with other companies.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Writing3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.6 / 5
Physics4.6 / 5
Chemistry4.3 / 5
Mathematics4.1 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.8 / 5
English Language3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic72
Investigative85
Artistic23
Social8
Enterprising26
Conventional51

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

physicist · DE Physiker/Physikerin · FR physicien/physicienne
biophysicist · DE Biophysiker/Biophysikerin · FR biophysicien/biophysicienne
biochemical engineer · DE Ingenieur Biochemietechnik/Ingenieurin Biochemietechnik · FR ingénieur biochimiste en industrie/ingénieure biochimiste en industrie
nanoengineer · DE Ingenieur für Nanotechnologie/Ingenieurin für Nanotechnologie · FR ingénieur en nanotechnologie/ingénieure en nanotechnologie
photonics engineer · DE Ingenieur Photonik/Ingenieurin Photonik · FR ingénieur en photonique/ingénieure en photonique
research engineer · DE Forschungs- und Entwicklungsingenieur/Forschungs- und Entwicklungsingenieurin · FR ingénieur de recherche/ingénieure de recherche

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 employed
Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.79. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2199).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test