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.
Also known as: Atomic Process Engineer, Core Measures Abstractor, Engineer, Engineering Officer, Instrumentation and Controls Engineer, Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer, Nuclear Design Engineer, Nuclear Electrician, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
- Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent study and research.
- Perform experiments that will provide information about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, or waste disposal.
- Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
- Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
- Recommend preventive measures to be taken in the handling of nuclear technology, based on data obtained from operations monitoring or from evaluation of test results.
- Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
- Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize performance of existing plants.
- Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- Conduct environmental studies on topics such as nuclear power generation, nuclear waste disposal, or nuclear weapon deployment.
- Design fuel cycle models or processes to reduce the quantity of radioactive waste generated from nuclear activities.
- Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
- Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
- Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
- Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
- Design or direct nuclear research projects to develop, test, modify, or discover new uses for theoretical models.
- Consult with other scientists to determine parameters of experimentation or suitability of analytical models.
- Discuss construction project proposals with interested parties, such as vendors, contractors, or nuclear facility review boards.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
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Education Level Distribution
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Technology & Tools
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In-Demand Technologies
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Work Styles
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Key Abilities
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Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
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Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.