Will AI replace Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
40/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 65% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 31% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 57% of the work
What the job involves
Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(10)
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
and 5 more
Within reach(9)
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
- Write letters of recommendation for students.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
and 4 more
Out of reach(9)
- Supervise students' laboratory work.
- Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
and 4 more
Also called
Chemistry Professor · Chemistry Instructor · Organic Chemistry Professor · Analytical Chemistry Teacher · Chemical Educator · Industrial Chemistry Teacher · Inorganic Chemistry Teacher · Organic Chemistry Teacher
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics