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Career Details

15-1221.00 - 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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
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Forecasted Employment
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Change in Employment
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Change in Employment %
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Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.
  • Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.
  • Evaluate project plans and proposals to assess feasibility issues.
  • Apply theoretical expertise and innovation to create or apply new technology, such as adapting principles for applying computers to new uses.
  • Consult with users, management, vendors, and technicians to determine computing needs and system requirements.
  • Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
  • Conduct logical analyses of business, scientific, engineering, and other technical problems, formulating mathematical models of problems for solution by computers.
  • Develop and interpret organizational goals, policies, and procedures.
  • Develop performance standards, and evaluate work in light of established standards.
  • Design computers and the software that runs them.
  • Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or robotics.
Supplemental
  • Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates.
  • Maintain network hardware and software, direct network security measures, and monitor networks to ensure availability to system users.
  • Approve, prepare, monitor, and adjust operational budgets.
  • Direct daily operations of departments, coordinating project activities with other departments.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 91%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Mathematics
  • 81%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 79%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 English Language
  • 78%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Administration and Management
  • 66%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Design
  • 65%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Telecommunications
  • 62%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Physics
  • 57%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Sales and Marketing
  • 54%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 54%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Education and Training
  • 53%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Clerical
  • 52%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Robotics
  • Articulated robots
  • Mobile robots
 Computers
  • Cluster systems
  • Distributed heterogeneous computers
  • File servers
  • High end computer servers
  • High-performance cluster HPC computers
  • Mainframe computers
  • Massively parallel processors MPP
  • Personal computers
  • Render farms
  • Web servers
 Computer printers
  • Computer laser printers
 Computer data input devices
  • Computer scanners
  • Graphics workstations
  • Image capture devices
  • Laser scanners
  • Real time motion capture systems
 Cameras
  • Digital cameras
  • Digital video cameras
  • Pan-tilt-zoom cameras
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Free-field speakers
 Media storage devices
  • Hard disk drives
  • Network storage arrays
  • Quarter inch cartridge QIC tapes
  • Universal serial bus USB flash drives
 Network service equipment
  • High-speed networking testbeds
 Removable storage media
  • Magneto optical discs
 Integrated circuits
  • Microcomputers
 System Cards
  • Network interface cards NIC
 Projectors and supplies
  • Stereographic projectors
  • Video projectors
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Development software
  • Ada
  • Apache KafkaHOT
  • Automated document generation software
  • C
  • C#HOT
  • C++HOT
  • Charm++
  • CMAKE
  • DjangoHOT
  • Doxygen
  • Eclipse IDEHOT
  • Eiffel
  • Embarcadero JBuilder
  • Extensible markup language XMLHOT
  • Extensible stylesheet language transformations XSLT
  • Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
  • Greenhills Ada compilers
  • High-performance software libraries
  • IBM InfoSphere DataStage
  • IBM Rational Apex
  • IBM Rational Rose
  • Integrated development environment IDE softwareHOT
  • Intel Integrated Performance Primitives
  • JavaScriptHOT
  • Jupyter Notebook
  • List processing language LISP
  • Low-level virtual machine LLVM compilers
  • Microsoft ActiveX
  • Microsoft AzureHOT
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScriptHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic.NET
  • Microsoft Visual C# .NET
  • Microsoft Visual StudioHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Studio.NET
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Object oriented development environment software
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • Perforce Software Configuration Management System
  • PHP: Hypertext PreprocessorHOT
  • Polaris parallelizing compilers
  • Practical extraction and reporting language PerlHOT
  • Prolog
  • PythonHOT
  • RHOT
  • RubyHOT
  • ScalaHOT
  • Software libraries
  • Source code management SCM software
  • Sun Microsystems Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition J2EE
  • Unified modeling language UMLHOT
  • Verilog
  • Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis Weka
 Industry specific software
  • Advanced numerical software
  • Algorithmic software
  • Augmint
  • Computational statistics software
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD softwareHOT
  • Data visualization software
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsHOT
  • Intel Math Kernel Library
  • Mathematical software
  • MinitabHOT
  • Multisensory data representation software
  • Optimization software
  • Polhemus Fasttrack System
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • Rice Simulator for ILP Multiprocessors RSIM
  • SASHOT
  • Simulation software
  • StataCorp Stata
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Amazon DynamoDBHOT
  • Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2HOT
  • Amazon RedshiftHOT
  • Amazon Web Services AWS softwareHOT
  • Apache CassandraHOT
  • Apache Flume
  • Apache HadoopHOT
  • Apache HiveHOT
  • Apache HTTP ServerHOT
  • Apache PigHOT
  • Apache SolrHOT
  • Apache SparkHOT
  • CA Erwin Data Modeler
  • Clustering software
  • Clustermatic
  • Data entry softwareHOT
  • Data mining software
  • ElasticsearchHOT
  • Google AnalyticsHOT
  • IBM Cognos ImpromptuHOT
  • Microsoft SQL ServerHOT
  • MicroStrategyHOT
  • MongoDBHOT
  • MySQLHOT
  • NoSQLHOT
  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise EditionHOT
  • Oracle DBMS
  • Parallel systems software
  • PostgreSQLHOT
  • Qlik Tech QlikViewHOT
  • Relational database management softwareHOT
  • Relational database management system software
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
  • TableauHOT
  • Teradata DatabaseHOT
  • Transact-SQLHOT
 Content management software
  • Apache Subversion SVNHOT
  • GitHOT
 Operating environment software
  • BashHOT
  • LinuxHOT
  • Microsoft Windows XP
  • Oracle SolarisHOT
  • Shell scriptHOT
  • Sun Microsystems Solaris
  • Ubuntu
  • UNIXHOT
  • UNIX ShellHOT
  • VME PowerPC VxWorks
 Information exchange software
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Google AdWordsHOT
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Graphics pipelines
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Open Graphics Library OpenGL
  • Plug-in file software
  • Three-dimensional 3D graphics software
  • Video editing software
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Microsoft DynamicsHOT
  • SAP Business ObjectsHOT
 System management software
  • Splunk EnterpriseHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Blue Ridge Community College
Brightpoint Community College
Central Virginia Community College
Germanna Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Gateway Community College
New River Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Patrick & Henry Community College
Paul D. Camp Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southside Virginia Community College
Southwest Virginia Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Virginia Western Community College
Wytheville Community College