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Career Exploration

Nanosystems Engineers

Also called: Process Development Engineer, Research Engineer

What they do:

Design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.

On the job, you would:
  • Provide scientific or technical guidance or expertise to scientists, engineers, technologists, technicians, or others, using knowledge of chemical, analytical, or biological processes as applied to micro and nanoscale systems.
  • Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
  • Conduct research related to a range of nanotechnology topics, such as packaging, heat transfer, fluorescence detection, nanoparticle dispersion, hybrid systems, liquid systems, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, optoelectronics, or nanolithography.
On the job, you'll need:

Engineering and Technology

  • product and service development
  • computers and electronics

Math and Science

  • physics
  • chemistry

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Basic Skills

  • reading work related information
  • talking to others

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • use rules to solve problems

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Visual Understanding

  • see hidden patterns

Investigative

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Attention to Detail
  • Integrity
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Cooperation

Computer aided design CAD software

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Analytical or scientific software

  • Dassault Systemes Abaqus
  • UTQUANT

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Average.

New job opportunities are likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $104,600

Education

Doctoral degree or bachelor's degree is usually needed.