Nanosystems Engineers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
• Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.
• Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
• Apply nanotechnology to improve the performance or reduce the environmental impact of energy products, such as fuel cells or solar cells.
• Develop green building nanocoatings, such as self-cleaning, anti-stain, depolluting, anti-fogging, anti-icing, antimicrobial, moisture-resistant, or ultraviolet protectant coatings.
• Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.
• Reengineer nanomaterials to improve biodegradability.
• 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.
• Design nano-based manufacturing processes to minimize water, chemical, or energy use, as well as to reduce waste production.
• Develop processes or identify equipment needed for pilot or commercial nanoscale scale production.
• Prepare nanotechnology-related invention disclosures or patent applications.
• 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.
• Design nanosystems with components such as nanocatalysts or nanofiltration devices to clean specific pollutants from hazardous waste sites.
• Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
• Engineer production processes for specific nanotechnology applications, such as electroplating, nanofabrication, or epoxy.
• 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.
• Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
• Write proposals to secure external funding or to partner with other companies.
• 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.
• Coordinate or supervise the work of suppliers or vendors in the designing, building, or testing of nanosystem devices, such as lenses or probes.
• Integrate nanotechnology with antimicrobial properties into products, such as household or medical appliances, to reduce the development of bacteria or other microbes.
• Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
• Identify new applications for existing nanotechnologies.
• Design nanoparticle catalysts to detect or remove chemical or other pollutants from water, soil, or air.
• Design nano-enabled products with reduced toxicity, increased durability, or improved energy efficiency.
• Develop catalysis or other green chemistry methods to synthesize nanomaterials, such as nanotubes, nanocrystals, nanorods, or nanowires.

Skills

• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

Abilities

• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Administration and Management
  • 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.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology
  • 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.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Physics
  • 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.
• Chemistry
  • 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Gonzaga University
  E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane WA 99258-0001
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 800-986-9585
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.gonzaga.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• North Seattle College
  9600 College Way North, Seattle WA 98103-3599
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-934-3600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.northseattle.edu/
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle University
  900 Broadway, Seattle WA 98122-4340
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-296-6000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.seattleu.edu/
  Program Name
  Systems Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Post-master's certificate, Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Forest Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Systems Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
  1900 Commerce St, Tacoma WA 98402-3100
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-692-4400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering Science
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
  Save
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Whitman College
  345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-5111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitman.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

125080/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

60.14/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

4,670

Yearly Projected Openings

350

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

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

Tools

• Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Capacitance meters
• Computer servers
• Cryogenic temperature controllers
• Cryostats
• Desktop computers
• Drying cabinets or ovens
• Electronic measuring probes
• Fume hoods or cupboards
• Goniometers or arthrometers
• Handheld refractometers or polarimeters
• Impedance meters
• Infrared dryers
• Infrared spectrometers
• Inkjet printers
• Isolation glove boxes
• Laboratory evaporators
• Laboratory safety furnaces
• Lasers
• Light scattering equipment
• Microprocessors
• Microtomes
• Network analyzers
• Optical diffraction apparatus
• Polarizing microscopes
• Potentiometers
• Reciprocating shaking water baths
• Scanning electron microscopes
• Scanning light or spinning disk or laser scanning microscopes
• Scanning probe microscopes
• Semiconductor process systems
• Semiconductor testers
• Signal generators
• Spectrometers
• Spectrophotometers
• Surface testers
• Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
• Thermal differential analyzers
• Thickness measuring devices
• Transmission electron microscopes
• Tumblers or polishers
• Vacuum ovens
• Video attachments for microscopes
• Voltage or current meters
• X ray diffraction equipment

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Business intelligence and data analysis software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base management system software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Development environment software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Industrial control software
• Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
• Medical software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Process mapping and design software
• Project management software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software