Sector baseline · Research consensus

AI displacement risk in research & science

Research & Science averages 39 out of 100 across 65 published occupations. Behind it, Social Science Research Assistants scores 59 and Foresters scores 17, a 42 point spread. That is narrower than the 42 point gap between the most and least exposed sector overall, so Research & Science moves together more than most fields do.

Sector average, out of 100

Occupations scored

Point spread, 17 to 59

Occupations scoring 40 or above

How the sector splits

Of the 65, 0 occupations clear 70 and count as high risk, 33 sit between 40 and 69, and 32 fall below 40.

Exposure follows the tasks inside a role rather than the field it sits in, so two jobs that share a sector can still land far apart. The whole published set averages 31 across 961 occupations in 21 sectors. How scoring works

Every research & science occupation, most exposed first

Rank is against the full published set, not against the sector. Every occupation here is backed by at least two distinct published studies.

AI displacement risk scores for 65 research & science occupations
Rank	Occupation	Score	Sources
39	Social Science Research Assistants	59	7
71	Sociologists	56	6
73	Survey Researchers	56	6
77	Environmental Economists	55	6
88	Political Scientists	54	6
104	Geographers	52	7
120	Biological Scientists, All Other	50	4
135	Urban and Regional Planners	50	6
139	Economists	49	7
165	Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	47	6
178	Historians	46	6
181	School Psychologists	46	6
182	Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other	46	4
184	Animal Scientists	45	6
185	Bioinformatics Scientists	45	7
186	Chemists	45	7
192	Materials Scientists	45	6
194	Atmospheric and Space Scientists	44	6
207	Quality Control Analysts	44	6
210	Transportation Planners	44	7
212	Astronomers	43	6
214	Climate Change Policy Analysts	43	6
215	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	43	7
221	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	43	8
242	Hydrologic Technicians	42	4
243	Industrial Ecologists	42	6
246	Physicists	42	8
247	Remote Sensing Technicians	42	5
253	Anthropologists and Archeologists	41	6
263	Environmental Restoration Planners	41	6
265	Geneticists	41	6
269	Molecular and Cellular Biologists	41	7
274	Biologists	40	7
275	Chemical Technicians	40	7
290	Biochemists and Biophysicists	39	6
297	Hydrologists	39	6
307	Soil and Plant Scientists	39	6
317	Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health	38	6
324	Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	38	3
328	Microbiologists	38	7
330	Psychologists, All Other	38	4
332	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	38	6
357	Food Science Technicians	36	5
362	Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians	36	5
368	Precision Agriculture Technicians	36	6
378	Epidemiologists	35	6
382	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	35	6
390	Biological Technicians	34	8
396	Food Scientists and Technologists	34	6
406	Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists	34	5
422	Conservation Scientists	32	6
427	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	32	5
435	Clinical Neuropsychologists	31	6
443	Neuropsychologists	31	6
446	Physical Scientists, All Other	31	3
456	Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	30	6
477	Nuclear Monitoring Technicians	29	5
480	Park Naturalists	29	6
496	Range Managers	28	6
531	Occupational Health and Safety Technicians	26	5
540	Agricultural Technicians	25	5
568	Forensic Science Technicians	24	5
573	Nuclear Technicians	24	5
687	Forest and Conservation Technicians	19	5
750	Foresters	17	5

The evidence behind these scores

Each score aggregates published academic and industry estimates for that occupation, calibrated onto a common scale before they are combined. Across research & science, the thinnest occupation rests on 3 sources and the best evidenced on 8. Occupations backed by fewer than two distinct sources are not published at all, here or anywhere on the site.

See the dataset and its limits, or the full ranking in one table.

A sector average is not your score

Roles across research & science already run 42 points apart, and the number above is the baseline for a typical version of each one. Seniority and how routine your day is move your own score further still. Answer a few questions and get it free, no sign-up.

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Other sectors

Every sector with at least 15 published occupations has its own baseline. Compare all of them, or browse occupations grouped by sector.

Informational guidance based on published research, not professional career or financial advice. Scores update as new research is ingested.