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Computer and Information Research Scientists

15-1221.00 Bright Outlook Bright

Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

What education do people in this job actually have?

O*NET incumbent survey (2024)
Some college / associate's 8% Bachelor's degree 36% Graduate degree 55%

How EWU courses prepare you for this work (9 of 15 O*NET tasks have course evidence)

Apply group theoretic concepts to solve mathematical problems

  • Independently research mathematical concepts
  • Synthesize pertinent mathematical background material
  • Write, compile and execute a complete program for a given problem.
  • Implement a program that uses an array to solve a problem.
  • Employ the appropriate numerical technique to approximate a solution of an initial value problem, boundary value problem, or partial differential equation, with careful consideration of initial or boundary data.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.

use numerical schemes to find approximate solutions to initial value problems utilizing mathematical software such as Matlab or Mathematica.

  • Apply differential and integral calculus techniques to trigonometric functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions and the inverses of these functions
  • Demonstrate knowledge of relationships between exponents and logarithms and their derivatives

Use mathematical software to approximate solutions of biological models

Apply the techniques of multiple integration and partial derivatives to applied problems

  • Apply classical solution techniques to differential equation models of physical systems
  • Construct partial differential equation models for physical systems

Write rigorous correctness proofs for algorithms.

  • Identify the complexity class of a problem
  • Explain the relationship between matroids and different algorithms for solving problems
  • Calculate the solutions to problems related to difference equations

Implement an iterative method to solve a problem (e.g. matrix decomposition, solution of a linear system of equations, determining eigenpairs of a matrix)

Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations

Model a physical signal by using mathematical functions, and solve the equations when excited by an arbitrary function.

  • Apply basic linear algebra to economic problems.
  • Solve simple differential equations focusing on topics in economics.

Understand the foundation of AI

Apply number theoretic techniques to cryptography

Work with the applications of geometric transformations in the sciences

  • Implement a program that uses an array to solve a problem.
  • Write, compile and execute a complete program for a given problem.

use numerical schemes to find approximate solutions to initial value problems utilizing mathematical software such as Matlab or Mathematica.

Implement an iterative method to solve a problem (e.g. matrix decomposition, solution of a linear system of equations, determining eigenpairs of a matrix)

Apply the techniques of multiple integration and partial derivatives to applied problems

Program a memory management simulation.

  • Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations
  • Utilize quantitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations

Employ the appropriate numerical technique to approximate a solution of an initial value problem, boundary value problem, or partial differential equation, with careful consideration of initial or boundary data.

  • Apply classical solution techniques to differential equation models of physical systems
  • Construct partial differential equation models for physical systems
  • Identify the complexity class of a problem
  • Calculate the solutions to problems related to difference equations
  • Explain the relationship between matroids and different algorithms for solving problems

Apply group theoretic concepts to solve mathematical problems

Apply differential and integral calculus techniques to trigonometric functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions and the inverses of these functions

Employ and analyze a prescribed method to find a root of a nonlinear equation (with knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the approach);

Use mathematical software to approximate solutions of biological models

Independently research mathematical concepts

Program a memory management simulation.

  • Implement a program that uses an array to solve a problem.
  • Write, compile and execute a complete program for a given problem.
  • Devise a hypothetical research project for an AI topic of your choice
  • Understand the foundation of AI

Implement an iterative method to solve a problem (e.g. matrix decomposition, solution of a linear system of equations, determining eigenpairs of a matrix)

  • Write a professional report adhering to scholarly standards
  • Summarize the professional report in an oral presentation

Analyze a communication system and measure a performance in terms of probability of

Devise a hypothetical research project for an AI topic of your choice

Devise a hypothetical research project for an AI topic of your choice

Program a memory management simulation.

Where to focus your applied learning (6 taskes without course evidence yet)

These O*NET tasks don't have direct course-objective evidence in the Math BS catalog yet. Each is an opportunity to gain hands-on preparation through an applied project, MAA-sponsored partnership, elective, or internship. The Math BS applied-projects page has examples of project-driven learning that could close these kinds of gaps.

More O*NET details for this occupation (skills, knowledge, tools & technology)
Skills (42)
Basic Skills: Active Learning
Basic Skills: Active Listening
Basic Skills: Critical Thinking
Basic Skills: Learning Strategies
Basic Skills: Mathematics
Basic Skills: Monitoring
Basic Skills: Reading Comprehension
Basic Skills: Science
Basic Skills: Speaking
Basic Skills: Writing
+ 32 more on O*NET
Knowledge (7)
Administration and Management
Computers and Electronics
Design
Engineering and Technology
English Language
Mathematics
Telecommunications
Tools & technology (30)
Analytical or scientific software: Advanced numerical software
Analytical or scientific software: Algorithmic software
Analytical or scientific software: Augmint
Analytical or scientific software: Bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT)
Analytical or scientific software: Computational statistics software
Analytical or scientific software: Data visualization software
Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics
Analytical or scientific software: Intel Math Kernel Library
Analytical or scientific software: Mathematical software
Analytical or scientific software: Minitab

O*NET's tools-and-technology list aggregates software encountered across the occupation's many sub-roles, so the list can be broad. Treat it as a directory of what people in this job might use, not a checklist of what every job requires.

Where this data comes from. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills, and education-incumbents survey come from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 30.2. Washington-state pay and employment projections come from WA Employment Security Department and the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Live job postings come from CareerOneStop, refreshed nightly from a scrape that tracks the original posting date and the date our system last saw each posting live.

How we connect courses to occupations. Course catalog descriptions and program-level learning outcomes are indexed alongside O*NET task statements. Where a course's language aligns with a task an occupation requires, we mark it as evidence of preparation. Faculty review each candidate match and either confirm or veto it; only confirmed matches surface in totals.

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