Explore a possible path

Natural Sciences Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.

How does this connect to your interests? →

A look at the work

  • Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
  • Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
  • Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.
  • Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.
  • Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.
  • Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.
  • Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.
  • Prepare project proposals.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.7 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

5.9 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.4 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.1 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

5.6 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.2 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

2021-08

4.1 / 5

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2021-08

4.0 / 5

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2021-08

4.0 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2021-08

4.0 / 5

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

2021-08

4.0 / 5

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

2021-08

3.9 / 5

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2021-08

3.9 / 5

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

2021-08

3.9 / 5

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

2021-08

3.8 / 5

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

2021-08

3.6 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 5 of 5 · 2021-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Engineering Physics/Applied Physics →

Operations Research →

Biology/Biological Sciences, General →

Biochemistry →

Biophysics →

Molecular Biology →

Molecular Biochemistry →

Molecular Biophysics →

Structural Biology →

Photobiology →

Radiation Biology/Radiobiology →

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 11-9121.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.