Nanosystems Engineers

Those wishing to enter the field of nanotechnology should obtain as much experience as possible in high school and college by participating in internships, co-ops, or volunteer or part-time positions at nanoengineering firms and laboratories or other companies that develop or use nanosystems.

To be a successful nanosystems engineer, you should have strong communication and interpersonal skills; be attentive to detail; be able to think analytically in order to solve problems and work with abstract ideas; and be willing to continue to learn throughout your career. Other important traits include science and engineering skills; creativity and imagination; and the ability to work both independently and as a member of a group.

Nanosystems engineers must know how to use (or be willing to learn):

• analytical or scientific software (e.g., Dassault Systemes Abaqus, General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System GAMESS, Simcenter Nastran)
• computer-aided design software (e.g., Autodesk AutoCAD, LinkCAD, Dassault Systemes CATIA, PTC Creo Parametric)
• development environment software (e.g., National Instruments LabVIEW)
• graphics or photo imaging software (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop)
• spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel)