Occupation · SOC 15-1221
Computer and Information Research Scientists
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.
Median wage
$140,910
$80,670–$232,120
Projected growth
+19.9%
Faster than average
Annual openings
790
per year
Employed (US)
38,480
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
3,083 mapped
Core skills
Judgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSystems AnalysisProgrammingSystems Evaluation
Knowledge areas
Computers and ElectronicsMathematicsEngineering and TechnologyEnglish LanguageAdministration and Management
Technology & tools
Graphics or photo imaging softwareDevelopment environment softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareData base management system softwareData base user interface and query software
Representative tasks
Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.Apply theoretical expertise and innovation to create or apply new technology, such as adapting principles for applying computers to new uses.Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.Design computers and the software that runs them.Conduct logical analyses of business, scientific, engineering, and other technical problems, formulating mathematical models of problems for solution by computers.Evaluate project plans and proposals to assess feasibility issues.Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or robotics.Consult with users, management, vendors, and technicians to determine computing needs and system requirements.Develop and interpret organizational goals, policies, and procedures.Develop performance standards, and evaluate work in light of established standards.Maintain network hardware and software, direct network security measures, and monitor networks to ensure availability to system users.Direct daily operations of departments, coordinating project activities with other departments.Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates.Approve, prepare, monitor, and adjust operational budgets.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Computer hardware and software problems — analyze root causes under faculty or senior researcher direction in a university or corporate research lab setting.Mathematical models of technical problems — formulate with guidance by applying foundational coursework to structured research problems in supervised project work.Existing theoretical frameworks — review and summarize to support innovation efforts on an assigned research team in an academic or R&D environment.Development environment software and analytical tools — operate following established lab protocols to run experiments and record results under close supervision.Technical literature and research proposals — read and synthesize to identify relevant prior work in preparation for team meetings and literature reviews.Research task priorities — track and report progress against assigned milestones under the direction of a principal investigator or project lead.Basic programming scripts and algorithms — write and test in a supported codebase environment to implement well-defined research procedures.Database management and query software — use to retrieve and organize research data sets according to project specifications under supervision.Multidisciplinary project team meetings — participate in by contributing domain-specific knowledge in areas such as human-computer interaction or robotics.Oral and written research summaries — prepare and present to supervisors and lab peers to communicate early-stage experimental findings clearly.
developing
Computer hardware and software design specifications — develop with moderate independence by applying theoretical principles to targeted research problems in a corporate or government lab.Mathematical and computational models — construct and validate routinely to represent engineering or scientific problems for computer-based solution in familiar research domains.New technology applications — adapt existing principles to novel uses by conducting structured feasibility analyses on moderately complex research initiatives.Project plans and proposals — evaluate for technical and resource feasibility using established assessment criteria within a defined research program.Cross-functional meetings with managers and vendors — facilitate to resolve technical coordination issues and align deliverables on active R&D projects.Systems analysis techniques — apply to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities in computing systems operating within a known research environment.Analytical and scientific software platforms — configure and deploy to process complex data sets and generate reproducible experimental results with limited oversight.Research task scheduling — manage across multiple concurrent assignments by setting priorities and adjusting timelines to meet project goals in a team setting.Technical reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts — draft and revise to communicate research methods and findings to scientific and engineering audiences.Active learning strategies — apply by integrating emerging literature into ongoing research activities to keep methods current within a specialization area.
proficient
Novel hardware architectures and software systems — design end-to-end by synthesizing theoretical innovation and applied engineering judgment across the full research lifecycle.Complex multidisciplinary problems in areas such as virtual reality or robotics — analyze and resolve autonomously by formulating original computational models and experimental designs.Theoretical expertise — apply to create new technologies or adapt computing principles to previously unsolved problems in high-stakes research or industry environments.Systems evaluation frameworks — develop and execute to assess whether deployed technologies meet scientific, operational, and organizational performance criteria.Non-routine feasibility and risk analyses — conduct on research proposals and project plans, delivering authoritative recommendations to senior leadership and funding bodies.Expert system and business intelligence software — architect and leverage to extract insights from large-scale data in support of strategic research objectives.Logical analyses of business, scientific, and engineering problems — lead independently by constructing rigorous mathematical representations suitable for computational solution.Stakeholder consultations with executives, partners, and regulatory bodies — manage to secure cooperation, resolve technical disputes, and maintain project alignment.Cloud-based and distributed computing environments — design and optimize to support high-performance research workloads requiring scalability and resilience.Advanced programming and technology design solutions — produce and publish as original intellectual contributions that extend the state of the art in the field.
advanced
Organizational research strategy and computing innovation roadmap — define and champion by translating long-range scientific vision into funded, executable R&D programs.New computational paradigms and breakthrough technologies — pioneer by directing teams of researchers to apply original theoretical frameworks to previously intractable problems.Enterprise-level systems architecture decisions — make with full accountability, balancing technical rigor, resource constraints, and organizational mission at executive scale.Multidisciplinary research portfolios spanning AI, robotics, and human-computer interaction — oversee and integrate to ensure coherent scientific progress and cross-domain synergy.Organizational talent and competency development — lead by mentoring junior scientists, designing research apprenticeships, and building institutional knowledge within the discipline.Strategic partnerships with industry, government, and academic institutions — cultivate and govern to secure resources, expand research influence, and accelerate technology transfer.Peer-review and editorial leadership in high-impact scientific venues — exercise to shape the direction of the field and uphold rigorous standards for computational research.Feasibility and investment decisions on large-scale technology initiatives — render by synthesizing inductive and deductive reasoning across complex technical, financial, and policy dimensions.Organizational innovation culture — foster by setting norms of intellectual curiosity, dependability, and evidence-based experimentation across research divisions.Policy and standards contributions at national or international level — lead by representing organizational expertise in computing research to shape regulatory and technical frameworks.
Also known as
42 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Machine Learning ScientistControl System Computer ScientistMulti-Disciplined Language AnalystInformation ScientistApplied ScientistComputer SpecialistProgramming Languages ResearcherArtificial Intelligence Specialist (AI Specialist)Systems Automation Acquisition and Engineering (Army 51R)Scientific Programr AnalystScientific Programmer AnalystData Systems Specialist (Marine Corps 8846)Cyber RandD Specialist (Navy 002775)Research EngineerMachine Learning Software EngineerDigital Solutions ManagerMachine Learning Research ScientistAI Engineer (Artificial Intelligence Engineer)RL - Special Duty Officer Billet - Information Professional Officer (Navy 182)Research Computer ScientistResearch ScientistLDO - Information Professional (Navy 682)Cyberspace Warfare Development Officer (Marine Corps 1705)RL - Special Duty Officer - Cyber Warfare Engineer (Navy 184)NLP Engineer (Natural Language Processing Engineer)Computational LinguistCWO - Information Systems Technician (Navy 782)Site Reliability EngineerCryptologistCybersecurity Research Scientist (Cyber Research Scientist)Computer ScientistScientistCyber Warfare Technician (Navy CWT)Computer Vision ScientistMachine Learning Data ScientistSoftware EngineerComputational Theory ScientistComputational ScientistMachine Learning EngineerLanguages Researcher