Nanosystems Engineers
Design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.
$122,930 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 78%
- 4%
- 19%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 2%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 25 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Develop processes or identify equipment needed for pilot or commercial nanoscale scale production.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Engineer production processes for specific nanotechnology applications, such as electroplating, nanofabrication, or epoxy.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days1.4 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Design nano-enabled products with reduced toxicity, increased durability, or improved energy efficiency.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days1 work day to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Feb 2029 | |
| Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 3.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Apply nanotechnology to improve the performance or reduce the environmental impact of energy products, such as fuel cells or solar cells.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 3.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Design nanosystems with components such as nanocatalysts or nanofiltration devices to clean specific pollutants from hazardous waste sites.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Develop catalysis or other green chemistry methods to synthesize nanomaterials, such as nanotubes, nanocrystals, nanorods, or nanowires.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Design nanoparticle catalysts to detect or remove chemical or other pollutants from water, soil, or air.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Conduct research related to a range of nanotechnology topics, such as packaging, heat transfer, fluorescence detection, nanoparticle dispersion, hybrid systems, liquid systems, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, optoelectronics, or nanolithography.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 work weeks4.2 work days to 2.3 work months | 0%Half by Dec 2029 | |
| Design or engineer nanomaterials, nanodevices, nano-enabled products, or nanosystems, using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 work days5 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Aug 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians10% now, 19% by 2028
- Materials Scientists1% now, 44% by 2028
- Microsystems Engineers1% now, 36% by 2028
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers2% now, 38% by 2028
- Chemical Engineers4% now, 47% by 2028
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers2% now, 37% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.