Physicists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
• Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
• Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena.
• Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
• Write research proposals to receive funding.
• Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
• Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
• Develop theories and laws on the basis of observation and experiments, and apply these theories and laws to problems in areas such as nuclear energy, optics, and aerospace technology.
• Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
• Teach physics to students.

Skills

• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

Abilities

• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
  • 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.
• Administration and Management
  • 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Physics
  • 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.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Engineering and Technology
  • 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.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Sales and Marketing
  • 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.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Education

Education

Doctoral or professional degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Central Washington University
  400 East University Way, Ellensburg WA 98926
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 509-963-1111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.cwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Eastern Washington University
  526 5th Street, Cheney WA 99004-2496
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 509-359-6200
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.ewu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Gonzaga University
  E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane WA 99258-0001
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 800-986-9585
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.gonzaga.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Pacific Lutheran University
  12180 Park Ave South, Tacoma WA 98447-0003
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-535-7411
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.plu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle University
  900 Broadway, Seattle WA 98122-4340
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-296-6000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.seattleu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Puget Sound
  1500 N. Warner Street, Tacoma WA 98416
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-879-3100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.pugetsound.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Bothell Campus
  18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell WA 98011-8246
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 425-352-5000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.uwb.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, Other
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
  Save
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Walla Walla University
  204 S College Ave, College Place WA 99324-1198
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-2615
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.wallawalla.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Health/Medical Physics
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save
  Program Name
  Optics/Optical Sciences
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Postbaccalaureate certificate
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  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Whitman College
  345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-5111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitman.edu/
  Program Name
  Astrophysics
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Physics, Other
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Whitworth University
  300 W Hawthorne Rd, Spokane WA 99251
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-777-1000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitworth.edu/
  Program Name
  Physics, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Physics, Other
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

120080/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

57.73/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

1,050

Yearly Projected Openings

100

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

• Innovation
• Achievement/Effort
• Analytical Thinking
• Initiative
• Attention to Detail
• Integrity

Tools

• Accelerometers
• Amplifiers
• Analytical balances
• Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
• Autosamplers
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Capacitance meters
• Chromatographic detectors
• Cryogenic or liquid nitrogen freezers
• Cryostats
• Desktop computers
• Digital camcorders or video cameras
• Electromagnets
• Electron microscopes
• Electronic counters
• Force or torque sensors
• Frequency analyzers
• Frequency calibrator or simulator
• Frequency counters or timer or dividers
• Galvanometers
• Gas chromatographs
• Geiger counters
• Goggles
• High vacuum equipment
• Infrared spectrometers
• Injectors
• Interferometers
• Ionization chambers
• Laboratory balances
• Laboratory box furnaces
• Laboratory centrifugal pumps
• Laboratory safety furnaces
• Laboratory vacuum pumps
• Laboratory vibrators
• Laser beam analyzers
• Laser filters
• Lasers
• Leak testing equipment
• Light scattering equipment
• Magnetometer geophysical instruments
• Magnetometers
• Mass spectrometers
• Medical computed tomography CT or CAT scanners or tubes
• Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI scanners
• Medical radiation films or badges
• Mobile or transportable medical linear accelerators
• Monochromators
• Multimeters
• Network analyzers
• Notebook computers
• Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectrometers
• Optical beamsplitters
• Optical breadboards
• Optical choppers
• Oscilloscopes
• Personal computers
• Photo attachments for microscopes
• Photometer
• Photosensitive diodes
• Plotter printers
• Pneumatic vacuum equipment
• Polarizers
• Pull spring balances
• Radiation detectors
• Roughness measuring instruments
• Scanning electron microscopes
• Scanning probe microscopes
• Semiconductor testers
• Signal conditioners
• Signal generators
• Single gas monitors
• Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
• Spectrometers
• Spectrophotometers
• Telescopes
• Transmission electron microscopes
• Tube furnaces
• Tweezers
• Ultraviolet UV lamps
• Visual filters
• Voltage or current meters
• X ray diffraction equipment

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Cloud-based management software
• Clustering software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Configuration management software
• Data base management system software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Desktop publishing software
• Development environment software
• Enterprise application integration software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Expert system software
• File versioning software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Music or sound editing software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Video creation and editing software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software