Enchanted by the prospect of earning a data science degree in New Mexico? Keep reading for an exploration of the state’s job market, big scholarships, and professional communities for data scientists.

New Mexico has two National Laboratories in the state. One, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), runs the Exascale Computing Project, which is dedicated to making better models and simulations with more data but less time. The other, Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, has established the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program dedicated to predicting the effect of nuclear weapons on the environment. It falls under the lab’s computing and information science wing, which is creating supercomputers at scale.

So, what does high-level research mean for students? New Mexico supports multiple state-run research universities, including University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico State University (NMSU), and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Together, they form the New Mexico Consortium (NMC), pooling resources with Los Alamos National Laboratory to tackle advanced computing as well as modeling and analysis. For advanced computing, it runs theNMC Ultrascale Systems Research Center, which seeks to push supercomputing toward even faster computations. As for NMC’s modeling and analysis wing, it aggregates system data to predict changes to climate, economic behavior, and the spread of viruses. Oh, and quantum computing.

NMC isn’t the only active network in the state. University-based data scientists working on healthcare applications of big data can join the bioinformatics team at New Mexico IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). Studying under a participating professor at New Mexico Highlands University, San Juan College, UNM or Northern New Mexico University may expose you to some cutting-edge genetic research. For instance, INBRE’s Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core (SBC) in Santa Fe falls under the National Center for Genome Resources, which created the first genome sequence database back in 1994.

Now that you know what the state’s researchers are up to in general, let’s drill down to the work being done at individual universities:

If you’re interested in a career in data science or data analytics, you may want to complete a bootcamp. Data science or data analytics bootcamps are “crash courses” that prepare students practically to enter the fields, often with hands-on experience. While some bootcamps in New Mexico are dedicated exclusively to data science (the study of how knowledge is extracted from raw data) and others are dedicated to data analytics (the processes by which specific conclusions can be gleaned from data), yet others encompass both data science and data analytics. See our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in New Mexico.

At the undergraduate level, students get scholarships. At the graduate level, you’ll often have to work for your financial aid. Look for fellowships and assistantships like these from your department:

For a general introduction to the local tech scene, sample regularly meeting groups such as ABQ Innovation Ecosystem. In New Mexico, the communities really love particular software:

Here are data science related events in New Mexico, both on and off LANL premises:

If you want to do some serious data science research, you may wish to consider New Mexico, as it has not one but two of the country’s National Laboratories: Sandia in Albuquerque and Los Alamos northwest of Santa Fe. Both are among the state’s biggest employers.

If going straight to work for one of these two research behemoths is too intimidating, try the Sandia Science & Technology Park in Albuquerque. The team at Datalytic Solutions mines data for clients in agriculture, healthcare, finance and transportation, while Presbyterian Healthcare Services offers opportunities for graduates with an informatics background.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $73,910 per year in New Mexico.

Last updated: April 2022

If you’re looking for information on career paths that involve STEM, see our guides below:

Data Science and Analytics Careers:

Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Information Careers:

Marketing and User Research Careers:

Compare Careers and STEM Fields:

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.