What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Physicists in the U.S. earn more than $172,250 a year — the middle 80% land between $82,110 and $274,110. About 20,430 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Physicists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$172,250typical pay / year
20,430people in this work
$274,110+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing4
Study physical phenomena
+Collect and calibrate magnetometer and spectrometer readings from the solar observatory, perform uncertainty…
Study physical phenomena
+Collect and calibrate magnetometer and spectrometer readings from the solar observatory, perform uncertainty analysis on the time-series, flag anomalous intervals, and produce a concise summary of the physical phenomena for the weekly group meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workLinuxESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Develop and analyze experiments to test hypotheses
+Design the next experimental run to test the coronal heating hypothesis, specify instrument settings,…
Develop and analyze experiments to test hypotheses
+Design the next experimental run to test the coronal heating hypothesis, specify instrument settings, predicted signal-to-noise, control runs and data products, produce the experimental procedure and a risk checklist before the proposal deadline next Monday.
The tools that do the workLinuxjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Publish research findings in scientific journals
+Assemble the draft manuscript reporting the observed flare energy distribution, collate calibrated datasets,…
Publish research findings in scientific journals
+Assemble the draft manuscript reporting the observed flare energy distribution, collate calibrated datasets, perform statistical fits, create figures with axis labels and error bars, and prepare the cover letter and target journal submission package by the end of the month.
The tools that do the workLinuxjob descriptionsO*NET
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Use instruments and computational models for experiments
+Integrate instrument calibration files with the forward model, run the end-to-end simulation for the planned…
Use instruments and computational models for experiments
+Integrate instrument calibration files with the forward model, run the end-to-end simulation for the planned campaign, validate simulated outputs against yesterday's measurements, and produce a short report of discrepancies and next steps for the instrument team by tomorrow morning.
The tools that do the workC++Linuxjob descriptionsO*NET
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Learning2
Create mathematical models of physical systems
+Build the mathematical model of the plasma loop: write the governing equations, state assumptions and…
Create mathematical models of physical systems
+Build the mathematical model of the plasma loop: write the governing equations, state assumptions and boundary conditions, run the numerical solver across parameter sweeps, compare outputs to observation, and save model runs and diagnostics for lab review on Thursday.
The tools that do the workC++Linuxjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Teach physics to students.
+Prepare a two-hour introductory lecture on solar plasma physics for second-year undergraduates, include two…
Teach physics to students.
+Prepare a two-hour introductory lecture on solar plasma physics for second-year undergraduates, include two lab exercises using magnetometer and spectrometer data, one homework problem set with worked solutions, and publish slides and datasets by Friday noon.
The tools that do the workLinuxjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Use measurement instruments
+Run the calibrated magnetometer, spectrometer, and photodiode array for the two-hour morning campaign on NOAA…
Use measurement instruments
+Run the calibrated magnetometer, spectrometer, and photodiode array for the two-hour morning campaign on NOAA AR 12860, record raw counts with timestamps, apply the lab gain corrections, and save the validated dataset to the experiment folder for modelling.
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Perform laboratory tests
+Prepare and run the plasma chamber thermal cycle test on the sample set B, log pressure, temperature, and…
Perform laboratory tests
+Prepare and run the plasma chamber thermal cycle test on the sample set B, log pressure, temperature, and current every second, collect spectral scans after each cycle, run the standard quality-control routines, and produce the cleaned results file for the analysis team by Monday.
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Write research proposals and seek funding
+Draft a two-page funding proposal describing the experiment, key hypothesis, required spectrometer upgrades…
Write research proposals and seek funding
+Draft a two-page funding proposal describing the experiment, key hypothesis, required spectrometer upgrades costing $45,000, timeline to first light in nine months, and measurable milestones; address Dr. Morales in the funding office and request a decision by June 30.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Azurejob descriptionsO*NET
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Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
+Translate the latest solar flare observations from the March campaign into a concise set of differential…
Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
+Translate the latest solar flare observations from the March campaign into a concise set of differential equations, derive expected emission curves, and produce a one-page appendix with parameter estimates and uncertainty bounds for submission to the journal.
The tools that do the workC++O*NET
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Mentor and supervise graduate students and researchers
+Prepare a monthly mentorship summary for my three graduate students that lists their current experiments,…
Mentor and supervise graduate students and researchers
+Prepare a monthly mentorship summary for my three graduate students that lists their current experiments, deliverables due next month, gaps in technique, and scheduled one-on-one feedback meetings to send to each student and the department head by Friday.
The tools that do the workGitjob descriptions
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Maintain and calibrate laboratory instruments and equipment
+Create a step-by-step calibration checklist for the lab spectrograph, record last calibration dates, list…
Maintain and calibrate laboratory instruments and equipment
+Create a step-by-step calibration checklist for the lab spectrograph, record last calibration dates, list spare parts needed, and assign routine checks to Alex and Priya with a completion target of two weeks.
The tools that do the workLinuxjob descriptions
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Provide consultancy for industry and government projects
+Draft a consultancy brief for the energy ministry outlining a 12-month advisory scope on solar forecasting,…
Provide consultancy for industry and government projects
+Draft a consultancy brief for the energy ministry outlining a 12-month advisory scope on solar forecasting, deliverables including three predictive models and monthly workshops, estimated fees, and a proposal deadline of July 15.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Accessjob descriptions
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Research alternative energy sources like solar and wind
+Outline a comparative research plan to test photovoltaic yield versus small-scale wind for coastal sites,…
Research alternative energy sources like solar and wind
+Outline a comparative research plan to test photovoltaic yield versus small-scale wind for coastal sites, specifying measurement campaigns, required sensors, statistical methods, and a budget capped at $80,000 for an 18-month pilot.
The tools that do the workAmazon Web Services AWSjob descriptions
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Design and develop new electronic and communication technologies
+Design and prototype the new low-noise telemetry board for the coronagraph array, produce schematics and a…
Design and develop new electronic and communication technologies
+Design and prototype the new low-noise telemetry board for the coronagraph array, produce schematics and a parts list, run bench tests on the first three prototypes, log failures, and prepare a short report for the engineering review in two weeks.
The tools that do the workC++Autodesk AutoCADjob descriptions
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Identify and analyze scientific problems
+Gather the latest magnetogram and irradiance datasets, run hypothesis-driven statistical checks to isolate…
Identify and analyze scientific problems
+Gather the latest magnetogram and irradiance datasets, run hypothesis-driven statistical checks to isolate anomalies in the active region data, quantify confidence intervals, and draft three candidate explanations to discuss with the team on Thursday.
The tools that do the workGitLinuxjob descriptions
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Explain natural phenomena using theoretical frameworks
+Assemble a concise theoretical note connecting magnetic reconnection rates to observed X-class flare…
Explain natural phenomena using theoretical frameworks
+Assemble a concise theoretical note connecting magnetic reconnection rates to observed X-class flare energetics, derive the key scaling relations, include assumptions and limitations, and circulate to the theory group by next Monday.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLWikipedia
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Predict outcomes of physical systems through modeling
+Build and validate a reduced MHD model to predict coronal loop oscillation damping, run sensitivity sweeps on…
Predict outcomes of physical systems through modeling
+Build and validate a reduced MHD model to predict coronal loop oscillation damping, run sensitivity sweeps on density and field strength, compare model outputs to the April dataset, and save reproducible runs for the next grant report.
The tools that do the workLinuxC++Wikipedia
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Focus their research depending on their specialisation
+Review your subfield priorities, map current projects against instrument access and funding windows, identify…
Focus their research depending on their specialisation
+Review your subfield priorities, map current projects against instrument access and funding windows, identify two pivot opportunities that match our lab capabilities, and prepare a one-page justification for the group meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AccessESCO
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Apply their findings for the improvement of society
+Draft an outreach plan translating our recent flare forecasting improvement into an operational alert…
Apply their findings for the improvement of society
+Draft an outreach plan translating our recent flare forecasting improvement into an operational alert prototype for grid operators, include risk statements, expected lead time gains, and a pilot timeline to propose at the stakeholder workshop in three weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AzureESCO
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Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses