Materials engineer to nanoengineer
A materials engineer already meets 47% of what the nanoengineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.7/ 100
1 How much of what a nanoengineer is expected to do is already part of a materials engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the nanoengineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A nanoengineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a materials engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- analytical chemistry
- apply health and safety standards
- approve engineering design
- assess environmental impact
- chemistry
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A nanoengineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a materials engineer background worth leading with.
- already held develop chemical products communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held green chemistry engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held forecast organisational risks information skills
- already held materials engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held perform chemical experiments working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held work with chemicals handling and moving
All 19 carried skills, including the 14 the nanoengineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn nanomaterials required
- still to learn spectroscopy required
- still to learn nanotechnology required
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held solid mechanics optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held optical engineering optional
- still to learn computational chemistry required
- still to learn quantum technology required
- still to learn biology required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
- optional, not held life sciences optional
- optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn examine engineering principles required
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held manage chemical testing procedures optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn computer simulation required
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
- optional, not held design optical systems optional
- optional, not held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held improve chemical processes optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical drug development optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical technology optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a nanoengineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held analytical chemistry knowledge
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held assess environmental impact skill
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held forecast organisational risks skill
- already held materials engineering knowledge
- already held perform chemical experiments skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held test chemical samples skill
- already held work with chemicals skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held develop chemical products skill
- already held green chemistry knowledge
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held develop components separation processes optional
- optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use chemical analysis equipment optional
28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held develop components separation processes optional
- optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
- optional, not held solid mechanics optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held design optical systems optional
- optional, not held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held improve chemical processes optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held life sciences optional
- optional, not held manage chemical testing procedures optional
- optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
- optional, not held optical engineering optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical chemistry optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical drug development optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical technology optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use chemical analysis equipment optional
28 held skills the nanoengineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on pollution prevention skill
- not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role assess the feasibility of implementing developments skill
- not needed by the target role basic chemicals knowledge
- not needed by the target role composite materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role define quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role develop advanced materials skill
- not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role envelope systems for buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
- not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role pollution legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role properties of textile materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role semiconductors knowledge
- not needed by the target role sustainable building materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role test materials skill
- not needed by the target role thermoplastic materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of metal knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of plastic knowledge
24 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn computational chemistry required
- still to learn nanomaterials required
- still to learn quantum technology required
- still to learn spectroscopy required
- still to learn biology required
- still to learn computer simulation required
- still to learn nanotechnology required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
- optional, not held solid mechanics optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held life sciences optional
- optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
- optional, not held optical engineering optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical chemistry optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical drug development optional
- optional, not held pharmaceutical technology optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
Common questions about this move
Can a materials engineer become a nanoengineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A materials engineer already covers 47% of what a nanoengineer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 14 of which the nanoengineer role treats as required.
What skills does a materials engineer need to become a nanoengineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 28 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is computational chemistry.
How hard is the move from materials engineer to nanoengineer?
Its learning distance is 59.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.