Physical Sciences

21 careers in Physical Sciences, ranked safest first: the career with the lowest AI exposure score, meaning the smallest share of its day-to-day work AI can already do, is at the top. For 2 of them the moat, what structurally protects the job, has not been classified yet; their cards say so rather than guessing.

Physical Sciences at a glance
MOAT CLASSIFIED19 of 21 total
NO MOAT14
HAS A MOAT5
MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIED2
MEDIAN AI EXPOSURE28 /100

Life, Physical & Social Science15

Chemical Laboratory Technicians

19

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO19%moving to64%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSC
PHYSICAL MOATThe work is hands-on, in the real world. Software alone can't do it.
See the full card →

Environmental Chemist

22

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO22%moving to67%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
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Astronomer

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
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Materials Scientist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
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Nuclear Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
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Optical Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Plasma Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Quantum Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Theoretical Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Analytical Chemist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
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Industrial Chemist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Meteorologist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Nuclear and Radiochemists

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Experimental Physicist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Climatologist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
NO MOATNo physical, legal or personal barrier protects this work from software.
See the full card →

Healthcare Practitioners & Technical2

Horticultural Therapist

19

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO19%moving to64%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSC
PHYSICAL MOATThe work is hands-on, in the real world. Software alone can't do it.
See the full card →

Optical Technician

19

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO19%moving to64%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSC
PHYSICAL MOATThe work is hands-on, in the real world. Software alone can't do it.
See the full card →

Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance1

Pest Management Specialist

19

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO19%moving to64%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSC
PHYSICAL MOATThe work is hands-on, in the real world. Software alone can't do it.
See the full card →

Production1

Optical Glass Maker

19

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO19%moving to64%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSC
PHYSICAL MOATThe work is hands-on, in the real world. Software alone can't do it.
See the full card →

Uncategorised2

These careers have no record in our AI outlook register, so there is no O*NET occupation code to group them by. Listed here rather than guessed into a category.

Forensic Scientist

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIEDA real score, but the moat is not yet classified. No claim either way.
See the full card →

Physical Scientists

28

Physical Sciences

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO28%moving to73%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIEDA real score, but the moat is not yet classified. No claim either way.
See the full card →
Careermash

Careermash: navigate your career path with real data. Explore career profiles, salary benchmarks, AI impact forecasts, and the qualifications you need to get there.


AI EXPOSURE = the share of a job's day-to-day tasks AI can already do today, from the same exposure engine used across this site (Anthropic labour market research, 2026, observed real-world AI usage by occupation). Higher means more exposed. It is a measurement of now, not a prediction. THE DOOR = how hard the job is to get into, grade A (easy) to E (extremely hard), from each career's published forecast (OpenAI, "The AI Jobs Transition Framework", Richmond 2026, CC BY 4.0). A card marked MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIED has a real exposure score but no entry yet in our moat register, so we make no claim about what structurally protects it. Scorecard grades and verdicts are Careermash editorial judgment: we show forecasts as forecasts and own our conclusions. Salary and pathway figures are each career's own published profile. Careermash is a service provided by What School Ltd.

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