Careers In Nanotechnology

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Meaning of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. When K. Eric Drexler popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules.

I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are manufacturing simultaneously. . . The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big. — Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in physics.

Careers In Nanotechnology

Being a new area, immense potential exist for a bright career in nanotechnology.

The following resources have information on jobs postings, internships and general career information.

• Nanotechnology - PhD Studentships, Postdoctoral positions
  
• Working In Nanotechnology
  This site is designed to meet the increasing demand for career, education and training information in the emerging field of nanotechnology.
• National Nanotechnology Initiative
  The worldwide need for nanotechnology workers is expected to reach 2 million by 2015. Already there are numerous resources for students with interests in the field.

Academic programs in Nanotechnology

Numerous avenues exist for pursuing a career in molecular nanotechnology, dependent of course on the fields of study selected.

• Nanotechnology education is being offered by more and more universities around the world. Here is a list of universities offering nanotechnology education, and the degrees offered in nanotechnology, Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology, Master of Science in Nanotechnology, and PhD in Nanotechnology.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology_education

Additional resources

• Wikipedia article on Nanotechnology
• Foresight Institute’s web site (http://www.foresight.org) contains information about the development of the various aspects of molecular nanotechnology.
• Introductory and Technical Nanotechnology Information
  http://www.zyvex.com/nano 
• Nanotechnology Research Conference
  http://www.thesciencejobs.com/conference/nanotechnology

Useful books on Nanotechnology

• Engines of Creation (Full Text) - Accessible, describes impact on a wide variety of fields. (http://www.foresight.org/EOC/index.html)
• Unbounding the Future (Full Text) - Popularly written, environmental and medical focus. (http://www.foresight.org/UTF/Unbound_LBW/index.html)
• Nanosystems - Highly technical and interdisciplinary textbook.
• Nanomedicine (Full Text) - Extensive technical treatment of nanotechnology and medicine.
  (http://www.nanomedicine.com)