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17-2199.09 - Nanosystems Engineers


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
136,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
142,300
Estimate
Change in Employment
+5,500
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+4%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Write proposals to secure external funding or to partner with other companies.
  • Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
  • Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.
  • Identify new applications for existing nanotechnologies.
  • Provide technical guidance or support to customers on topics such as nanosystem start-up, maintenance, or use.
  • Generate high-resolution images or measure force-distance curves, using techniques such as atomic force microscopy.
  • Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
  • Prepare nanotechnology-related invention disclosures or patent applications.
  • Develop processes or identify equipment needed for pilot or commercial nanoscale scale production.
  • 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.
  • Engineer production processes for specific nanotechnology applications, such as electroplating, nanofabrication, or epoxy.
  • Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
  • Design or engineer nanomaterials, nanodevices, nano-enabled products, or nanosystems, using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software.
  • Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.
  • 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.
  • Apply nanotechnology to improve the performance or reduce the environmental impact of energy products, such as fuel cells or solar cells.
  • Design nano-enabled products with reduced toxicity, increased durability, or improved energy efficiency.
  • Design nanosystems with components such as nanocatalysts or nanofiltration devices to clean specific pollutants from hazardous waste sites.
  • Develop catalysis or other green chemistry methods to synthesize nanomaterials, such as nanotubes, nanocrystals, nanorods, or nanowires.
Supplemental
  • Coordinate or supervise the work of suppliers or vendors in the designing, building, or testing of nanosystem devices, such as lenses or probes.
  • Design nano-based manufacturing processes to minimize water, chemical, or energy use, as well as to reduce waste production.
  • Design nanoparticle catalysts to detect or remove chemical or other pollutants from water, soil, or air.
  • Develop green building nanocoatings, such as self-cleaning, anti-stain, depolluting, anti-fogging, anti-icing, antimicrobial, moisture-resistant, or ultraviolet protectant coatings.
  • Integrate nanotechnology with antimicrobial properties into products, such as household or medical appliances, to reduce the development of bacteria or other microbes.
  • Reengineer nanomaterials to improve biodegradability.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 95%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Physics
  • 90%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Mathematics
  • 88%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Chemistry
  • 83%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 77%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 English Language
  • 73%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Production and Processing
  • 71%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Design
  • 69%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Education and Training
  • 60%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Biology
  • 60%
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 Mechanical
  • 60%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Administration and Management
  • 58%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Laboratory furnaces and accessories
  • Ashing systems
  • Atmospheric furnaces
  • Oxidation furnaces
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Atomic absorption spectrometers
  • Energy dispersive x-ray EDX spectroscopes
  • Infrared microscopes
  • Raman scattering spectroscopes
  • Secondary ion mass spectrometers SIMS
  • Spectrophotometers
  • X-ray photoelectron spectrometers
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Atomic force microscopes AFM
  • Confocal Raman microscopes
  • Differential interference contrast DIC microscopes
  • Field emission scanning electron microscopes FESEM
  • Fluorescence optical microscopes
  • Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopes FIB-SEM
  • Laser scanning confocal microscopes
  • Optical inspection microscopes
  • Optical profilers
  • Raman scattering microscopes
  • Scanning auger microscopes
  • Scanning electron microscopes SEM
  • Scanning tunneling microscopes STM
  • Transmission electron microscopes TEM
  • Video microscopes
 Electronic manufacturing and processing machinery
  • Atomic layer deposition ALD systems
  • Contact mask aligners
  • Downstream strippers
  • Electron beam evaporators
  • Electron beam lithography systems
  • Image reversal ovens
  • Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etchers ICP-RIE
  • Ion mills
  • Low pressure chemical vapor deposition LPCVD systems
  • Magnetron sputtering systems
  • Mask writers
  • Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition MOCVD systems
  • Molecular beam epitaxy MBE systems
  • Nanoimprint lithography NIL systems
  • Oxide etchers
  • Parylene deposition systems
  • Plasma cleaning systems
  • Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition PECVD systems
  • Sputter coaters
  • Ultrasonic cutters
  • Wafer bond aligners
  • Wafer bonding systems
  • Wafer saws
  • Wafer spinners
  • Wire bonders
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Capacitance meters
  • Capacitance-voltage C-V plotters
  • Four-point probes
  • Impedance analyzers
  • Potentiostats
  • Surface charge analyzers
 Grinding and sanding and polishing equipment and supplies
  • Chemical mechanical polishing CMP systems
  • Lapping machines
 Computers
  • Computer servers
  • Desktop computers
 Laboratory ovens and accessories
  • Critical point dryers
  • Spin dryers
  • Spin rinse dryers
  • Vacuum ovens
 Histology equipment
  • Cryocut microtomes
  • Ultramicrotomes
 Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments
  • Ellipsometers
  • Scanning ellipsometers
  • Spectroscopic ellipsometers
 Laboratory decanting and distilling and evaporating and extracting equipment and supplies
  • Filament evaporators
  • Resistance evaporators
  • Thermal evaporators
 Integrated circuits
  • Graphics processing units GPU
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Handheld refractometers
  • Laser pattern generators
  • Optical pattern generators
  • Pulsed laser systems
  • Tunable lasers
 Computer printers
  • Inkjet printers
 Electronic and communication measuring and testing instruments
  • Network analyzers
  • Semiconductor parameter analyzers
 Mechanical instruments
  • Profilometers
  • Surface profilers
 Laboratory heating and drying equipment
  • Rapid thermal annealers RTA
  • Ultraviolet UV exposure units
 Laboratory baths
  • Reciprocating shaker water baths
 Crystallography equipment
  • X ray diffractometers
  • Zeta potential analyzers
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe FreeHand
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft VisioHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Apache HadoopHOT
  • AWS Elastic MapReduce (EMR)
  • Oracle softwareHOT
  • Salesforce softwareHOT
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
  • TableauHOT
 Industry specific software
  • Apache MXNet
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Breault Research ASAPHOT
  • Computer aided design CAD softwareHOT
  • CP2K
  • CPMD
  • CSC Elmer
  • Dassasult Systemes Abaqus
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAHOT
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksHOT
  • Data acquisition software
  • DL_POLY
  • ESA MOSAICS
  • Finite difference time domain FDTD software
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System GAMESS
  • IMSI Design DesignCADHOT
  • LAMMPS Molecular Dynamics Simulator
  • LinkCADHOT
  • MAYA Nastran
  • NWChem
  • Optical Research Associates LightToolsHOT
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • QuantumWise Atomistix ToolKit
  • Rapid prototyping software
  • SEMC-2D
  • Simulation software
  • Tanner EDA L-EditHOT
  • UTQUANT
  • Vienna Ab-Initio Simulation Package VASP
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP softwareHOT
  • SAPHOT
 Operating environment software
  • LinuxHOT
  • Microsoft WindowsHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
  • Oracle Manufacturing Scheduling
 Development software
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • PythonHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Central Virginia Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
New River Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southwest Virginia Community College
Wytheville Community College