How To Become A Computational Physicist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a computational physicist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Matthew Vonk

It is a very common question to ask about what computational physicists do. In the most simple terms, the computational physicist is someone who deals with physics using computers.

In this role, you spend a long time doing mathematic experiments and creating physical processes or phenomena in computer models to find scientific solutions to extremely complicated problems. This role focuses on science, electronics, mathematics, and theories of how structures can work in any field. The work relates directly to real-life applications like environmental modeling and radioactive cleanup.

To be an excellent computational physicist, you must be an expert on using computer algorithms and simulations. Currently, modern computational physicists are studying the dynamics of accelerators, astrophysics, and particle physics. They are addressing theoretical and physical issues in shaping devices using mathematical solutions. Computational Physicists usually have backgrounds in geophysics, materials science, or finance.

What general advice would you give to a computational physicist?

Dr. Matthew Vonk

Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin - River Falls

There are many Pros to being a physicist: Autonomy, variety, solving interesting problems, understanding how the universe works on a very fundamental level, working with great people.

ScoreComputational PhysicistUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,519

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 7.90%

Black or African American 0.83%

Hispanic or Latino 6.65%

Unknown 3.33%

White 80.64%

Gender

female 15.38%

male 84.62%

Age - 47.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47.5

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a computational physicist

Explore computational physicist education requirements

Most common computational physicist degrees

Bachelor's

58.3 %

Doctorate

25.0 %

Master's

8.3 %

Start to develop specific computational physicist skills

Skills	Percentages
C++	37.23%
Technical Support	19.18%
DOE	18.35%
MATLAB	13.86%
RF	5.19%

Complete relevant computational physicist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New computational physicists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a computational physicist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real computational physicist resumes.

Research computational physicist duties and responsibilities

Develop training PowerPoint materials to teach core elements to soldiers using web-base and SharePoint applications.perform site assistance visits to subordinates.
Service on review panels for projects at DARPA and NSF.

Apply for computational physicist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a computational physicist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams