Nuclear engineers

Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.

AI Resistance Index 20 of 99

Changing faster than most: more resilient than 20% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +0.4% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on creative vision and ethical judgement.

AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.

Median pay (2025): $133,970
Job growth to 2035: +0.4%
Openings a year: 800
People doing it (2025): 16,600
Usual route in: Bachelor's degree

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Where people already use AI for this work

Document technical designs, procedures, or activities
Present research or technical information
Research technology designs or applications

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures
Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards
Design industrial systems or equipment

What the work looks like

Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as the continued decline in nuclear power plants will lead to less demand for nuclear engineers to conduct research on the control and use of nuclear energy.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Chemical engineersGrows with AI, Index 54, +4.7%
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineersGrows with AI, Index 34, +3.8%
Electrical engineersGrows with AI, Index 59, +9.9%
Petroleum engineersChanging shape, Index 28, +2.0%

Also known as: Engineer, Nuclear Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer, Nuclear Reactor Engineer, Nuclear Design Engineer, Nuclear Process Engineer, Nuclear Safety Engineer, Nuclear Steam Supply System Engineer (NSSS Engineer).

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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.