What does a material scientist do?
Materials scientists study how things are put together – including their atomic structure, chemical and physical properties – and use this information to create new materials and products. They look at what they require from materials and then alter them to make them better suited to their job. New materials used to be made on a ‘hit and miss’ basis. It was a bit like a chef experimenting with new spices and cooking techniques without understanding how the ingredients combined to give the final result. With a deeper understanding of structure and advances in technology, materials scientists have moved far beyond this crude investigation and work on a much more subtle level. Scientists use computers to improve the speed and accuracy of the experimental process and to reduce the expense involved in finding new materials. In contrast to traditional ‘one-at-a-time’ testing of a material’s properties, computer models allow researchers to manipulate and visualise information and even test id
