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Materials Science Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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Materials Science Engineer information

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$40K

$91.4K

$116.9K

How much do materials science engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for materials science engineer in California is $91,426.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $82,900.00 and $101,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a materials science engineer do?

A Materials Science Engineer studies and develops materials to improve their performance, durability, and efficiency in various applications. They work with metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites to create new materials or enhance existing ones for industries such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and electronics. Their work involves research, testing, and developing manufacturing processes to ensure materials meet required standards. They collaborate with scientists, engineers, and manufacturers to solve material-related challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a materials science engineer?

To thrive as a Materials Science Engineer, you need a strong grasp of materials characterization, thermodynamics, and engineering principles, typically supported by a degree in materials science, chemistry, or a related field. Familiarity with lab testing equipment, materials modeling software, and certifications such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing can be highly valuable. Effective teamwork, problem-solving, and clear communication skills enable you to collaborate across disciplines and convey complex findings. These abilities are crucial for driving innovation, ensuring product quality, and meeting project goals in materials development and engineering environments.

What are some common challenges faced by materials science engineers in their daily work?

Materials Science Engineers often encounter challenges such as optimizing material properties for specific applications, troubleshooting manufacturing defects, and staying current with rapidly evolving material technologies. They may need to balance theoretical research with practical implementation, all while ensuring compliance with industry standards and project deadlines. Working in this role often involves close collaboration with product designers, engineers, and production teams to integrate new materials into existing or novel products. Overcoming these challenges requires both technical expertise and the ability to communicate complex information effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

Is materials science engineering a good career?

Materials Science Engineering is a promising career that involves developing and testing new materials for various industries such as aerospace, electronics, and healthcare. It requires strong knowledge of chemistry, physics, and engineering principles, often utilizing tools like microscopy and spectroscopy, with opportunities for research, development, and innovation. Job prospects are generally good, especially for those with advanced degrees or specialized skills.

What kind of jobs do materials science engineers do?

Materials science engineers research, develop, and test materials such as metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites for various applications. They work in industries like aerospace, automotive, electronics, and healthcare, often using tools like microscopy and spectroscopy, and may require knowledge of manufacturing processes and material properties.

What are the most commonly searched types of Materials Science Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Materials Science Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Materials Science Engineer jobs in California?

For Materials Science Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Materials Science Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Materials Science Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Materials Science Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Materials Science Engineer job openings:

Materials Science Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Materials Science Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 10% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $91,426 per year, or $44 per hour.

Materials Science Ai Engineer

Cardinal Integrated Technologies Inc

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 26 days 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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