Scientists and engineers work across a wide range of career pathways throughout the STEM fields including biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, robotics, computer science and more. Explore the different types of STEM careers here and see what kind of opportunities might ignite your curiosity!
Select a topic to learn about STEM careers
STEM Careers at the Department of Defense
The Department of Defense (DoD) provides opportunities for students, parents, educators, and its workforce to use creativity and skills to accelerate innovation in leading-edge technologies.
Discovery & Innovation at DoD
The DoD cultivates a collaborative environment where its workforce leads the DoD’s modernization efforts in advanced manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and more.
Meet Innovators From Across the DoD
DoD Civilian Careers
There are people who work for the DoD that do not serve in the military. They are called “civilians” (also known as nonmilitary government employees). Many serve in their roles as innovators and problem-solvers of real-world challenges.
DoD Mentorship
Over 150,000 scientists and engineers working at the DoD serve as mentors each year to students and the current workforce. Many of these mentors do so outside of their assigned roles and responsibilities. The reason? To inspire and encourage the current and future generation of leaders in STEM fields.
View Opportunities for Educators and Volunteers
Visit the DoD Mentoring Resource Portal
What Can You Do with a Career in STEM?
Dasia Taylor
Student Scientist
Recent high school graduate Dasia Taylor credits her chemistry teacher and her own curiosity with sparking her interest in a research project that would raise awareness about inequities in health care and be competitive at student science fairs.
Dr. Oscar Perez
Computer Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst
Pérez is responsible for network and system security in the event of a cyberattack for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Data & Analysis Center. This critical position requires continuous research into developing technologies to ensure the nation’s security interests are protected.
Dr. Bryn Adams
Synthetic Biologist and Environmental Microbiologist
Dr. Bryn Adams’ fascination with biology was sparked in high school when she learned that DNA was exactly the same in everything alive! “It didn’t matter whether it was single celled, amoebas, paramecium, slime mold, or things like trees; plants and animals all share the same genetic code, or the four-letter alphabet of DNA."
Rachel Seevers
Student and Researcher
Student researcher Rachel Seevers is passionate about encouraging more girls and women to consider STEM education and careers. “I am an engineer. I am an innovator. I can show the world that no matter where you come from, no matter what resources you have, you can do it too."
Dr. Abigail Juhl
Materials Research Engineer
Research scientist Abigail Juhl says a sixth-grade teacher and the Science Olympiad spurred her lifelong love of science into a career focused on controlling mechanical waves for the Air Force.
Lauren Ejiaga
Student Scientist
Science researcher and high-school junior Lauren Ejiaga’s interest in environmental science delves into global warming and climate change on Earth.
Charlotte Michaluk
Student Scientist
Charlotte Michaluk has been studying ways to make cargo ships more environmentally and economically sound, safe, and efficient.
Camellia Sharma
Student Scientist
Camellia Sharma is a student at Virginia’s Todd Allen Phillips Center for Medical Sciences at Mills E. Godwin High School where her new project uses artificial intelligence to identify cancerous skin lesions.
Amber Luo
DoD STEM Scholar
Amber Luo, the DoD STEM Scholar with the Center for Excellence in Education’s Research Science Institute, is passionate about the intersection of math and biology and loves to explore how math can help solve biological problems.
Donald “DJ” Liveoak
DoD STEM Scholar
Donald “DJ” Liveoak is a high-school senior in Michigan who says he’s very lucky to have a lot of really good teachers who have inspired and motivated him to pursue mathematics.
Dr. Oluseyi A. “Seyi” Ayorinde
Electrical Engineer
Oluseyi “Seyi” Ayorinde, Ph.D. is an electrical engineer and researcher at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory with interests in machine learning acceleration, swarming algorithm acceleration, digital application-specific integrated circuit design, and low-power FPGA hardware design.
Isabella Quan
DoD STEM Scholar
DoD STEM Scholar Isabella Quan was chosen by her Research Science Institute peers (RSI) for the top honor Rickoid of the Year—at the Center for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) 38th annual Research Science Institute, an intensive, six-week summer program for high-school students collaboratively sponsored by CEE and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Oscar Martinez
Astrochemist
Dr. Oscar Martinez works at the Department of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which supports the Space Force. As an astrochemist, he uses a variety of instruments to study reactions of importance to many different space environments.
Jonathan Stroud
DoD SMART Scholar, Engineer, & STEM Outreach
Jonathan Stroud loves taking things apart and putting them back together to see how they work, and he is using this passion to solve problems. As a child, Stroud was a big LEGO fan who always knew he wanted to be an engineer—and he will soon be a space engineer with the U.S. Space Force. In the meantime, he is working in STEM education as a member of the SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program. Stroud is in the rotational phase where he is exposed to many different jobs within the Space Force.
David Lee
Technology Transfer Specialist
As a technology transfer specialist for the U.S. Army, David Lee is responsible for making sure that technology developed in the lab is shared properly with the Army’s corporate and academic partners, and vice versa. Most government laboratories have a technology transfer office, where STEM professionals focus on the business side of developing a product. Lee says his job is scientific, legal, and business all in one.
Samina Mondal
Student and Researcher
Samina Mondal has found a way to combine her interests in STEM, mentoring, research and communications by creating a program with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) that introduces technology and cybersecurity to students through hands-on activities with results relevant to their daily lives.
Erica Borgers
Chemical Hygiene and Biological Safety Officer
Erica Borgers oversees high-hazard labs with chemical or biological operations for the U.S. Navy. Her specialty is surface decontamination, which came in handy during the pandemic. The Navy installs sensors on its ships to detect chemical or biological agents at sea and alert sailors to don the appropriate safety gear. Her research has focused on finding decontamination methods that don’t use salt—although salt is effective, it is corrosive to metals. Her team has discovered that hot, humid air is an excellent decontaminator. They have shown success with aircraft and will soon experiment with ships at sea.
Sunny Khemlani
Cognitive Scientist
Sangeet “Sunny” Khemlani spends his days building artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can reason the same way humans do. This is a huge challenge, and although current AI systems can mimic certain forms of human reasoning, very few get it right every single time. Before college, Khemlani thought his career would be in an artistic field, such as graphic design, animation, or film. He was always interested in technology and looked for areas where imagination and science overlapped. He found this synergy in a cognitive science courses where he learned about sensation, perception, reasoning and and machine thinking.
Dr. Nirav Patel
Geospatial Data Scientist
Dr. Nirav Patel relishes the curiosity that drives scientific research. As a geospatial data scientist, he is focused on “what’s out there” in space and how new technologies can benefit humankind.
Dr. Brandon Cochenour
Deputy Program Manager
Electrical engineer Dr. Brandon Cochenour says that the fun and exciting part about being a researcher for the Navy is that because the answers they’re seeking are rarely available in a textbook, technical teams are required to work together to discover or even invent solutions, with each member bringing expertise from many different STEM disciplines.
Matthew Tan
Student, Aerospace Engineering
Growing up, Matthew Tan loved building robots from kits and competing with the FIRST LEGO League and other robotics competitions. “I didn't realize how much I was learning. At the time you're building a robot you're having fun and doing what you need to do to get it to accomplish the goals of the competition."
Karrin Felton
Chemical Engineer and Program Manager
Karrin Felton’s interest in chemistry was sparked during a middle-school Career Day when a guest teacher who was also a professional chemist showed up wearing a white lab coat, sneakers and goggles. After she created smoke by combining different liquids in a beaker “I was hooked,” says Karrin.
Dasia Taylor
Student Scientist
Recent high school graduate Dasia Taylor credits her chemistry teacher and her own curiosity with sparking her interest in a research project that would raise awareness about inequities in health care and be competitive at student science fairs.
Dr. Oscar Perez
Computer Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst
Pérez is responsible for network and system security in the event of a cyberattack for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Data & Analysis Center. This critical position requires continuous research into developing technologies to ensure the nation’s security interests are protected.
Dr. Bryn Adams
Synthetic Biologist and Environmental Microbiologist
Dr. Bryn Adams’ fascination with biology was sparked in high school when she learned that DNA was exactly the same in everything alive! “It didn’t matter whether it was single celled, amoebas, paramecium, slime mold, or things like trees; plants and animals all share the same genetic code, or the four-letter alphabet of DNA."
Rachel Seevers
Student and Researcher
Student researcher Rachel Seevers is passionate about encouraging more girls and women to consider STEM education and careers. “I am an engineer. I am an innovator. I can show the world that no matter where you come from, no matter what resources you have, you can do it too."
Dr. Abigail Juhl
Materials Research Engineer
Research scientist Abigail Juhl says a sixth-grade teacher and the Science Olympiad spurred her lifelong love of science into a career focused on controlling mechanical waves for the Air Force.
Lauren Ejiaga
Student Scientist
Science researcher and high-school junior Lauren Ejiaga’s interest in environmental science delves into global warming and climate change on Earth.
Charlotte Michaluk
Student Scientist
Charlotte Michaluk has been studying ways to make cargo ships more environmentally and economically sound, safe, and efficient.
Camellia Sharma
Student Scientist
Camellia Sharma is a student at Virginia’s Todd Allen Phillips Center for Medical Sciences at Mills E. Godwin High School where her new project uses artificial intelligence to identify cancerous skin lesions.
Amber Luo
DoD STEM Scholar
Amber Luo, the DoD STEM Scholar with the Center for Excellence in Education’s Research Science Institute, is passionate about the intersection of math and biology and loves to explore how math can help solve biological problems.
Donald “DJ” Liveoak
DoD STEM Scholar
Donald “DJ” Liveoak is a high-school senior in Michigan who says he’s very lucky to have a lot of really good teachers who have inspired and motivated him to pursue mathematics.
Dr. Oluseyi A. “Seyi” Ayorinde
Electrical Engineer
Oluseyi “Seyi” Ayorinde, Ph.D. is an electrical engineer and researcher at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory with interests in machine learning acceleration, swarming algorithm acceleration, digital application-specific integrated circuit design, and low-power FPGA hardware design.
Isabella Quan
DoD STEM Scholar
DoD STEM Scholar Isabella Quan was chosen by her Research Science Institute peers (RSI) for the top honor Rickoid of the Year—at the Center for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) 38th annual Research Science Institute, an intensive, six-week summer program for high-school students collaboratively sponsored by CEE and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Oscar Martinez
Astrochemist
Dr. Oscar Martinez works at the Department of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which supports the Space Force. As an astrochemist, he uses a variety of instruments to study reactions of importance to many different space environments.
Jonathan Stroud
DoD SMART Scholar, Engineer, & STEM Outreach
Jonathan Stroud loves taking things apart and putting them back together to see how they work, and he is using this passion to solve problems. As a child, Stroud was a big LEGO fan who always knew he wanted to be an engineer—and he will soon be a space engineer with the U.S. Space Force. In the meantime, he is working in STEM education as a member of the SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program. Stroud is in the rotational phase where he is exposed to many different jobs within the Space Force.
David Lee
Technology Transfer Specialist
As a technology transfer specialist for the U.S. Army, David Lee is responsible for making sure that technology developed in the lab is shared properly with the Army’s corporate and academic partners, and vice versa. Most government laboratories have a technology transfer office, where STEM professionals focus on the business side of developing a product. Lee says his job is scientific, legal, and business all in one.
Samina Mondal
Student and Researcher
Samina Mondal has found a way to combine her interests in STEM, mentoring, research and communications by creating a program with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) that introduces technology and cybersecurity to students through hands-on activities with results relevant to their daily lives.
Erica Borgers
Chemical Hygiene and Biological Safety Officer
Erica Borgers oversees high-hazard labs with chemical or biological operations for the U.S. Navy. Her specialty is surface decontamination, which came in handy during the pandemic. The Navy installs sensors on its ships to detect chemical or biological agents at sea and alert sailors to don the appropriate safety gear. Her research has focused on finding decontamination methods that don’t use salt—although salt is effective, it is corrosive to metals. Her team has discovered that hot, humid air is an excellent decontaminator. They have shown success with aircraft and will soon experiment with ships at sea.
Sunny Khemlani
Cognitive Scientist
Sangeet “Sunny” Khemlani spends his days building artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can reason the same way humans do. This is a huge challenge, and although current AI systems can mimic certain forms of human reasoning, very few get it right every single time. Before college, Khemlani thought his career would be in an artistic field, such as graphic design, animation, or film. He was always interested in technology and looked for areas where imagination and science overlapped. He found this synergy in a cognitive science courses where he learned about sensation, perception, reasoning and and machine thinking.
Dr. Nirav Patel
Geospatial Data Scientist
Dr. Nirav Patel relishes the curiosity that drives scientific research. As a geospatial data scientist, he is focused on “what’s out there” in space and how new technologies can benefit humankind.
Dr. Brandon Cochenour
Deputy Program Manager
Electrical engineer Dr. Brandon Cochenour says that the fun and exciting part about being a researcher for the Navy is that because the answers they’re seeking are rarely available in a textbook, technical teams are required to work together to discover or even invent solutions, with each member bringing expertise from many different STEM disciplines.
Matthew Tan
Student, Aerospace Engineering
Growing up, Matthew Tan loved building robots from kits and competing with the FIRST LEGO League and other robotics competitions. “I didn't realize how much I was learning. At the time you're building a robot you're having fun and doing what you need to do to get it to accomplish the goals of the competition."
Karrin Felton
Chemical Engineer and Program Manager
Karrin Felton’s interest in chemistry was sparked during a middle-school Career Day when a guest teacher who was also a professional chemist showed up wearing a white lab coat, sneakers and goggles. After she created smoke by combining different liquids in a beaker “I was hooked,” says Karrin.
Dasia Taylor
Student Scientist
Recent high school graduate Dasia Taylor credits her chemistry teacher and her own curiosity with sparking her interest in a research project that would raise awareness about inequities in health care and be competitive at student science fairs.
Dr. Oscar Perez
Computer Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst
Pérez is responsible for network and system security in the event of a cyberattack for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Data & Analysis Center. This critical position requires continuous research into developing technologies to ensure the nation’s security interests are protected.
Dr. Bryn Adams
Synthetic Biologist and Environmental Microbiologist
Dr. Bryn Adams’ fascination with biology was sparked in high school when she learned that DNA was exactly the same in everything alive! “It didn’t matter whether it was single celled, amoebas, paramecium, slime mold, or things like trees; plants and animals all share the same genetic code, or the four-letter alphabet of DNA."