Animal Scientist
Animal Scientist scores just 3/100 on this site's structural exposure measure, one of the lowest readings on the entire site, reflecting how closely the genomic-analysis and statistical-modeling portion of this work resembles current AI capability.
We have not ingested real-world usage data for this occupation yet. We show a band only where genuine data exists, rather than estimate one.
What a animal scientist actually does
Animal scientists conduct research on the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic animals, working to improve breeding practices, feed efficiency, and disease resistance in production and companion-animal populations. The role is research-driven: designing feeding and nutrition studies, developing and testing breeding programs, investigating disease and sanitation practices, and advising producers and industry on findings, work that requires directly interacting with live animals in the field or lab as well as analyzing the resulting data.
Most animal scientists work for universities, the USDA, or agribusiness research divisions, and the role typically requires an advanced degree, 43% of animal scientists hold a doctorate. While statistical and genomic-analysis software (SAS, DNA-sequence analysis tools, Tableau, SQL) plays a real part in the job, the O*NET task list for this occupation is dominated by study design, animal-care oversight, and advisory communication rather than pure data analysis, work that combines applied field research with formal scientific training.
Why it reads this way
Animal Scientist scores just 3/100 on this site's structural exposure measure, one of the lowest readings on the entire site, reflecting how closely the genomic-analysis and statistical-modeling portion of this work resembles current AI capability. This is disclosed honestly rather than minimized: unlike Financial Examiner or Actuary, this occupation has no licensing wall at all, and the raw score here is uncomfortable enough that it would be an easy case to force into an At-risk framing without digging further.
What holds the verdict up instead is genuine, current, checkable evidence rather than an assumption that doctoral training is automatically protective.
A January 2026 peer-reviewed study in Animal Frontiers (Oxford University Press, for the American Society of Animal Science) found that deep-learning AI approaches "do not consistently outperform" the classical statistical genomic-prediction methods (genomic BLUP) this field has relied on for years, the flagship AI use case in this exact domain underperforming rather than displacing established practice, as of the most recent published research.
The O*NET task list itself is dominated by non-analytic work, designing studies, overseeing live-animal research, disease investigation, advising producers, rather than the pure data-analysis tasks the raw score is most sensitive to. A real, separate risk was found and disclosed honestly: USDA ARS research funding cuts (17 positions eliminated at the U. S.
Meat Animal Research Center, February 2025, plus a proposed $159M budget reduction) represent a genuine funding-side threat to this field's job count, distinct from and not evidence of AI-driven task displacement. Given the field's fast-moving research pace, this verdict is reviewed on a shorter cycle than most Safe-framed jobs on this site.
Skills this role draws on
We don't yet have task-by-task time-share data for this occupation, so we can't show which specific tasks carry the exposure score above. This is the real skill set instead.
Typical salary range (USD)
$44,350–$166,000
Average: $68,940/yr
Range source: O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data via BLS OEWS, SOC 19-1011.00 'Animal Scientists'
Average source: O*NET OnLine 2025 wage data (Annual Median Wage) for Animal Scientists (19-1011.00)
Related careers
Head-to-head comparisons
Animal Scientist scores just 3/100, one of the lowest structural readings on the entire site, and unlike Financial Examiner or Actuary, no licensing wall exists here at all — this is disclosed honestly rather than minimized. What holds the verdict up is genuine, current, checkable evidence: a January 2026 peer-reviewed study (Animal Frontiers, Oxford University Press/ASAS) found deep-learning AI 'does not consistently outperform' the classical genomic-prediction statistics this field relies on, the flagship AI use case in this exact domain underperforming established methods as of the most recent published research. The O*NET task list is dominated by non-analytic study-design and live-animal research work rather than pure analysis. A real, separate funding-side risk (USDA ARS staffing/budget cuts, Feb 2025) was found and disclosed, distinct from AI-driven displacement. Given this field's fast research pace, reviewed on a shorter cycle, as of 2026-08-19.
This is a researched judgment (checklist v1.2), not a statistical measurement — it sits alongside, not instead of, the structural exposure signal above. Next scheduled review: 2027-02-19.
Sources (5)
- https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-1011.00
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/agricultural-and-food-scientists.htm
- https://academic.oup.com/af/article/16/2/99/8417664
- https://www.mdpi.com/2624-862X/6/5/50
- https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2025/02/26/usda-cuts-stretch-across-nations
Data sources & methodology
Salary data: O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data via BLS OEWS, SOC 19-1011.00 'Animal Scientists'. Min/max figures represent the 10th–90th percentile annual wage range across the United States. Average figure sourced separately: O*NET OnLine 2025 wage data (Annual Median Wage) for Animal Scientists (19-1011.00).
Automation Risk Score: Based on O*NET occupational analysis (19-1011.00) evaluating task complexity, physical requirements, social intelligence, and environmental variability. Methodology based on research from Frey & Osborne (Oxford, 2017).
Growth projections: Faster than average (2024-2034), Bright Outlook designation, though a real, separate funding-side risk was found and disclosed: USDA ARS research staffing cuts (17 positions at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, February 2025) and a proposed $159M budget reduction (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; USDA ARS reporting), based on BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.