RU

Occupation · 2026 assessment

Space Physics Research Engineer

The Space Physics Research Engineer role combines repeatable operations with decisions that require professional context. The index measures task exposure to AI, software automation and robotics—not the probability that the occupation disappears.

Very low risk level Search jobs ↗
How risk may change

A forecast estimate, not a guaranteed scenario.

11%2026
18%2028
26%2030
37%2035

Which tasks are exposed

Risk applies to individual tasks—not to a person or an entire occupation.

TaskRisk
Searching and organizing scientific literature34%
Cleaning and preprocessing data33%
Standard statistical analysis30%
Generating hypotheses and experiment options23%
Conducting a non-standard experiment3%
Result interpretation and scientific accountability3%

Task map

AI replaces ↔ AI augments

Each task is positioned by AI capability and the degree of human involvement still required.

  1. 1Searching and organizing scientific literatureAI 34% · human 87%
  2. 2Cleaning and preprocessing dataAI 33% · human 93%
  3. 3Standard statistical analysisAI 30% · human 87%
  4. 4Generating hypotheses and experiment optionsAI 23% · human 84%
  5. 5Conducting a non-standard experimentAI 3% · human 94%
  6. 6Result interpretation and scientific accountabilityAI 3% · human 94%

Why technology can change this work

  • AI accelerates pattern discovery and experimental analysis
  • laboratory platforms automate repetitive procedures
  • models generate hypotheses and candidate materials or molecules

What protects the occupation

  • framing meaningful research questions
  • causality and evidence-quality assessment
  • a large share of value comes from human judgement, trust or personal accountability
  • methodological and interpretive accountability

United States · before tax

Average pay and outlook

Estimated nominal monthly pay. The scenario reflects sector, demand and task resilience; it is not a guarantee of income.

2026$8 350per month
2035$12 050scenario estimate
2026: $8 35020262027: $8 70020272028: $9 05020282029: $9 45020292030: $9 85020302031: $10 25020312032: $10 70020322033: $11 10020332034: $11 60020342035: $12 0502035
Find jobs ↗The partner link may contain referral parameters. Data benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ↗

Practical next step

Where to move next

Do not restart from zero: carry your experience forward and add scarce skills.

AI Evaluation Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk16%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit72%

Synthetic Biology Process Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit87%

Dataset Curator

Emerging role
New role risk34%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit85%

Model Behavior Analyst

Emerging role
New role risk19%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit66%

Climate Risk Modeler

Emerging role
New role risk16%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit81%

Environmental Digital Twin Specialist

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit81%

Job search and transitions

Find work with a lower risk index

Compare adjacent paths and open a current search for the selected occupation.

Environmental Digital Twin Specialist

Skill fit 81% · risk 14%

Search jobs ↗

Skills you already have

  • research methodology
  • critical analysis
  • experimental work
  • data interpretation

Skills to build

  • computational methods
  • laboratory automation
  • reproducible research
  • scientific AI-model validation
CurrentSpace Physics Research Engineer · 11%
→
Keepresearch methodology · critical analysis · experimental work
→
Addcomputational methods · laboratory automation · reproducible research

Sources and update

Updated: 2026-09-25 · Assessment confidence: Medium

International Labour Organization · 2025Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure

Nearly 30,000 tasks; a global assessment of GenAI exposure across detailed occupational groups.

World Economic Forum · 2025The Future of Jobs Report 2025

A survey of more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies.

O*NET Resource Center · 2026O*NET Database

Occupational, task, skill and work-context structure.