As a materials engineer, you'll develop, test and improve materials used in everything from smartphones to bridges. You'll combine science and creativity to solve real-world problems and make products safer, stronger and more sustainable.

You'll focus on understanding how materials behave and finding ways to improve them. You might work with metals, plastics, ceramics or composites, depending on your project or industry. It’s a rewarding role for anyone who enjoys hands-on experiments and seeing their ideas come to life in finished products.

You could be designing lightweight alloys for aircraft, developing biodegradable plastics or testing new coatings for medical implants.

Materials engineers play an important role in the construction industry. They're also found in others such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy and healthcare. Some specialise in areas such as nanomaterials, biomaterials or corrosion prevention, tailoring their expertise to specific challenges.

Your tasks might include:

• testing materials to assess strength, durability and performance

• researching new materials for specific applications

• analysing failures in products and recommending improvements

• developing processes to manufacture materials at scale

• working with designers to select suitable materials for projects

• writing technical reports and presenting findings to colleagues

Green job

In this job you could be doing work to help the environment. You might:

• develop recyclable or biodegradable materials for packaging

• improve energy efficiency in manufacturing processes

Find out more about green jobs.

• Tomorrow's Engineers – Careers resources for young people from Engineering UK and Royal Academy of Engineering

• WISE – inspires girls and women to study and build careers using science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)

• The Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES) – for more information on engineering careers

• Go Construct - materials engineer job description