How to hire an image scientist

How to hire an image scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step image scientist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an image scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new image scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an image scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your image scientist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an image scientist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an image scientist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an image scientist that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of image scientists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Image Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Image Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$25-67
   Research Fellow	A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study... Show more	$18-34
   Research Chemist	A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies... Show more	$25-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Image Processing
   • MATLAB
   • Machine Learning
   • PET
   • Data Analysis
   • Remote Sensing
   • LiDAR
   • Image Quality
   • SAR
   • Software Development
   • Product Quality
   • AGI
   • C
   • C++

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the CO2 and near IR laser beamrider development.
   • Train and lead new and existing personnel in QC testing processes and procedures.
   • Suggest and implement corrections that lead to the positive completion of an FDA mandate study.
   • Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
   • Develop advanced LADAR signal processing and RF drive electronics.
   • Develop product formulations target at specific areas of pet health and prototyping of the same.

   More image scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your image scientist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An image scientist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an image scientist in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level image scientist usually earns less than a senior-level image scientist. Additionally, an image scientist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average image scientist salary

   $87,934yearly

   $42.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level image scientist salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average image scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,106	$56
   2	Rhode Island	$101,647	$49
   3	Massachusetts	$81,359	$39
   4	Minnesota	$81,301	$39
   5	New York	$76,649	$37
   6	Maryland	$75,541	$36
   7	Ohio	$74,375	$36
   8	Tennessee	$74,201	$36
   9	Pennsylvania	$72,551	$35
   10	Illinois	$68,510	$33
   11	Michigan	$67,181	$32
   12	Washington	$66,616	$32
   13	Virginia	$63,309	$30
   14	New Mexico	$61,924	$30
   15	Florida	$61,440	$30
   16	Texas	$56,502	$27
   17	Missouri	$55,685	$27
   18	Utah	$49,950	$24
   19	Georgia	$48,783	$23

   Average image scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$142,641	$68.58	133
   2	Apple	$139,099	$66.87	53
   3	Applied Materials	$125,637	$60.40	6
   4	OmniVision Technologies	$116,724	$56.12
   5	Booz Allen Hamilton	$115,043	$55.31	82
   6	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	$111,104	$53.42	10
   7	General Electric	$106,751	$51.32	15
   8	Aware	$105,787	$50.86
   9	Xerox	$104,691	$50.33
   10	Regeneron	$104,228	$50.11	35
   11	Ge Oec Medical Systems Inc	$103,848	$49.93
   12	CyberCoders	$102,310	$49.19	2
   13	Stanford University	$99,538	$47.85	29
   14	Vital Images	$98,370	$47.29
   15	HeartFlow	$98,270	$47.25	2
   16	Mayo Clinic	$98,144	$47.18	10
   17	AstraZeneca	$96,458	$46.37	15
   18	IGT	$95,999	$46.15
   19	Jounce Therapeutics	$95,791	$46.05
   20	Frontier Technologies	$94,626	$45.49

4. Writing an image scientist job description

   A good image scientist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an image scientist job description:

   Image scientist job description example

   • Degree in Image Science, Electrical Engineering, or Physics
   • 10-12 Years of experience with a BS/BA, or 8-10 Years of experience with an MS/MA, or 6-8 Years of experience with a PhD
   • Experience working with SAR or OPIR imaging platforms
   • Image processing and Digital Signal processing experience
   • Image chain analysis to include sensor modeling, signal quality and noise, optics, detector calibration, and image processing of pixel data.
   • Application of error estimation.
   • Understanding and application of image quality standards (e.g. NIIRS), scales, metrics and image quality equations.
   • Significant applied knowledge of sensor imaging systems, products, and exploitation processes
   • Strong understanding of the systems engineering lifecycle to include independent testing and data verification
   • Strong written and oral communication skills, with emphasis on briefing to obtain decisions and solve technical issues and test plans/reports writing
   • Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
   • Willingness to learn, solve problems and perform in a dynamic work environment
   • Track record of delivering results

   Preferred Skillset:

   • Knowledge of National System for Geospatial-Intelligence (NSG) tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination (TCPED) image chain, specifically the inclusion of radiometric support weather data and material properties (NEFDS).
   • Experience working in a DoD or IC operational environment
   • Experience developing engineering code (C, Python, Matlab, IDL) to solve hard problems and create processes for repeatable results.

   Peraton Overview

   Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets. Every day, our employees do the can't be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers.

   An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disability/Veteran.

   For Colorado Residents Colorado Salary Minimum: $88,200
   Colorado Salary Maximum: $214,100
   
   The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position, and is just one component of Peraton's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, Peraton provides a variety of benefits to employees.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find image scientists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any image scientists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level image scientists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your image scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit image scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with image scientist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new image scientist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the image scientist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an image scientist?