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Entry Level Materials Science Engineering Jobs in California

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Entry Level Materials Science Engineering information

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$13

$26

$43

How much do entry level materials science engineering jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for entry level materials science engineering in California is $26.37, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.23 and $32.50 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an entry level materials science engineer do?

Entry level materials science engineers assist in researching, designing, and testing materials used in a wide range of products and industries. They often work under the supervision of senior engineers, helping to analyze material properties, conduct experiments, and prepare technical reports. Their tasks can also include supporting manufacturing processes, evaluating new materials, and ensuring quality standards are met. This role provides foundational experience and exposure to various materials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites.

What types of projects and responsibilities can I expect as an entry level materials science engineer?

As an entry level materials science engineer, you'll typically contribute to projects involving material selection, testing, and analysis under the guidance of senior engineers. Your responsibilities may include preparing samples, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and documenting results to support product development or process improvement. You may also assist in troubleshooting material-related issues and collaborate with cross-functional teams such as design, manufacturing, and quality assurance. This hands-on experience helps build foundational skills and provides insight into various industry applications.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level materials science engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Materials Science Engineer, you need a solid background in materials science principles, chemistry, physics, and engineering, usually supported by a bachelor’s degree in materials science or a related field. Familiarity with laboratory equipment, materials characterization techniques (such as SEM, XRD), and CAD or simulation software is commonly required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help you stand out. These abilities are essential for solving complex materials challenges, ensuring quality, and collaborating efficiently within multidisciplinary engineering teams.

What is the difference between Entry Level Materials Science Engineering vs Entry Level Mechanical Engineering?

AspectEntry Level Materials Science EngineeringEntry Level Mechanical Engineering
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Materials Science or Engineering, internshipsBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, internships
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, manufacturing, quality controlDesign, testing, manufacturing, R&D
Industry UsageMaterials development, nanotechnology, compositesAutomotive, aerospace, energy systems

Entry Level Materials Science Engineering focuses on developing and testing new materials, often in research or manufacturing settings. In contrast, Entry Level Mechanical Engineering involves designing and analyzing mechanical systems. Both roles require a bachelor's degree and internships, but they serve different industry needs and work environments.

What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs in California?

For Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs?

Cities in California with the most Entry Level Materials Science Engineering job openings:

Entry Level Materials Science Engineering jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Materials Science Engineering job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, and 5% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $54,840 per year, or $26.4 per hour.

Materials Science Ai Engineer

Cardinal Integrated Technologies Inc

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 14 hours ago

Job description

Job Summary:
Cardinal Integrated Technologies Inc is seeking a Materials Science AI Engineer to join their team in developing and supporting materials discovery and design. The ideal candidate will focus on building AI-based solutions and collaborating with scientists and engineers to integrate analytics into core R&D workflows.
Responsibilities:
• Design, develop and deploy multi-modal AI, ML, and hybrid physical-based models to solve ground-breaking material physics and design problems.
• Aggregate, process, transform and quality-control experimental and simulation data for modeling and analysis.
• Design, develop, and maintain data workflows to support materials informatics initiatives. Optimize data pipelines and model execution on parallel cloud systems (e.g., Azure, GCP, AWS).
• Collaborate with materials scientists, chemists, and software engineers to integrate analytics and predictive modeling into core R&D workflows.
• Document code, workflows, and best practices to support reproducible research.
• Apply AI and data analytics to optimize material synthesis and processing parameters in real-time, minimizing defects, improving consistency.
Qualifications:
Required:
• Strong proficiency in programming languages like Python and C++.
• Experience with machine learning and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Experience with data cleansing, preprocessing, and feature engineering
• Graduate or undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical field.
• 2-4 years of work experience (depending on educational degree) in data science, AI, machine learning, or data engineering roles.
• A strong foundation in the principles of materials science is essential to understand the underlying science and set up meaningful problems for AI.
• Expert in Python and data science libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, TensorFlow or PyTorch).
• Expertise in use of cloud-based compute environments and tools for parallel or distributed computing.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.
Preferred:
• Design, develop and deploy multi-modal AI, ML, and hybrid physical-based models to solve ground-breaking material physics and design problems
Company:
We are a company of IT professionals who passionately believe that good quality products & services are delivered by great resources. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in Monmouth Junction, USA, with a team of 201-500 employees. The company is currently Growth Stage.

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