An applied scientist is a researcher who turns machine learning methods into product features that real users rely on, and the live catalogue holds 16 applied scientist postings at 7 companies, 13 of them rated Level 4. Measured September 2026.
The number this article rests on: 16 live postings carry the applied scientist title, 12 of them senior or lead. Measured September 2026.
That is a small sample, and the figures below should be read as a snapshot, not a market average. Level reads every live posting in its catalogue of AI-related jobs, sorts it into a category, and rates it from Level 1 (AI absent from the work, or only decorative) to Level 4 (building AI systems is the job). The figures cover postings whose title contains "applied scientist". Large employers that post mostly on their own career sites may be under-represented here.
What does an applied scientist do?
An applied scientist designs, trains, and evaluates models for a product problem, then works with engineers until the model runs in production. The catalogue files these postings under research (16), and 81.3% sit at Level 4, where building AI systems is the job. Measured September 2026.
The balance differs from a pure research scientist, who is judged on papers and new methods, and from a machine learning engineer, who is judged on systems and reliability. The applied scientist sits between them: experiments are the daily work, but the result has to improve a metric the product team owns. When reading a posting, look for the product area it names and the metric it expects the model to move: those two lines say more about the day-to-day job than the title, and they are the fastest way to compare two offers. The employers posting the role are Datadog (6), Outreach (3), Dialpad (2), Upstart (2), Faire (1), Figma (1), and Otter.ai (1).
How much does an applied scientist make?
On the ranges employers publish, only 9 live applied scientist postings publish a USD range, too few to quote a median, so the useful benchmark is the market-wide median maximum of $240,000 on 10,748 USD postings. The market-wide median maximum is $240,000 on 10,748 USD postings, so the role sits above it. Measured September 2026.
The sample will grow as more employers publish ranges. For the closest engineering benchmark, see the AI engineer salary guide and the AI engineer salary data.
What is the salary of an applied scientist at Amazon?
Amazon is not among the 7 employers with a live applied scientist posting in this catalogue, so this page has no Amazon range to report. Across the 7 employers that do post the title here, only 9 live applied scientist postings publish a USD range, too few to quote a median, so the useful benchmark is the market-wide median maximum of $240,000 on 10,748 USD postings. Measured September 2026.
An employer's own career site is the place to check for a current range. This page only reports what the Level catalogue measures, and it does not rank employers it cannot see.
Applied scientist vs data scientist: what is the difference?
A data scientist mostly answers business questions with data; an applied scientist mostly builds models that become part of a product. In this catalogue, 96 of 245 data scientist postings (39.2%) sit at Level 4, against 81.3% for applied scientists. Measured September 2026.
On pay, the median data scientist posting publishes a range from $191,000 to $260,000, on 118 live postings with a USD salary, while the applied scientist median maximum is $275,000. By volume, the catalogue holds 245 live data scientist postings against 16 applied scientist postings.
What degree do I need to be an applied scientist?
No single degree answers this for every employer, and the seniority mix is the best proxy this page has: 12 of 16 live applied scientist postings carry a senior or lead tag, against 0 with an intern or junior tag. Measured September 2026.
This page does not parse degree requirements, so it cannot give a share. The requirements line of each posting below is where employers state the degree they expect, and a role that is mostly senior usually rewards research experience as much as the diploma itself. The list of AI job types shows the neighbouring research and engineering roles, and the research hub lists them live.
The jobs right now
Live applied scientist postings, newest first, generated from the catalogue. With a sample this size, the list below may be most of the market this page can see.
