OK, yeah didn't make it that far. Even just Pottery is like 100 scientists (without random boosts) and the next was even more. since they only pop in randomly it's a real drag since you can't idle them nor can you truly actively play since it's mostly waiting making it a harsh active-required grind wall.
If you already have automation later the easiest early game might simply be to provide upgrades to boost values per scientist bringing the manual work back down to a tolerable level. Though that might require re-balancing costs if your base is higher going into automation.