Global nanotechnology trends and opportunities for students

Prof (Dr)S.K.Chakarvarti
Director Research and Development, Centre for Research & Development,
Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad

The real and serious students (why students alone, the teachers also) of physics
are always ready to swear by the “Fynman Lectures on Physics”( The Feynman
Lectures on Physics is perhaps the most popular physics book ever written. It
has been printed in a dozen languages. More than 1.5 million copies have sold in
English, and probably even more in foreign language editions ,the number of
copies printed in Russian alone, for example, is estimated to be over 1 million).
The Feynman Lectures on Physics have endured for over 40 years, and they
have influenced thousands of people. Teachers and students of physics consider
these volumes almost “holy scriptures” for them when the question of learning
and understanding physics arises.

On one fateful day of 29th December, 1959, the icon of physic and noble laureate
Richard P Feynman addressed the gathering at an American Physical Society
meeting at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) with the opening
remark,”There is plenty of room at the bottom”. This punch line obviously was
pointing out towards the possibility of direct manipulation of individual atoms as a
more powerful form of synthetic chemistry than those used at the time. One
conclusion which one could drive was that it should be possible, in principle, to
make nanoscale machines that "arrange the atoms the way one wants", and
carry out chemical synthesis by mechanical manipulation. None the less, this
was the vision of the future technology which, later on, was named as
Nanotechnology by Taniguchi. In fact, one can always say that it is the
technology of God which is omnipresent in all nature’s creation, be it all living
creatures, flora and fauna and we have now started revisiting and exploring it to
put our inquisitiveness and of course make our life convenient and blissful!

Nanotechnology falls under the 5th revolution this globe is witnessing currently.
Taking in to account the earlier four industrial revolutions, the First Revolution
(1780–1840) based primarily in United Kingdom could give us Steam Engine,
Textile Industry, Mechanical Engineering etc; the Second Revolution (1840–
1900)based in Europe – England, France, Germany, gave the mankind Railways
and Steel Industry; Third Revolution (1900–1950), based in United States, could
bloom out in the emergence of Electric Engines, Heavy Chemicals,
Automobiles, Consumer Durables; Fourth Revolution(1950–Present),based in
Pacific Basin – California, Japan, make the globe to use Synthetics, Organic
Chemicals (Oil), Computers and Fifth Revolution (2010? – ??) is expected to
have base in developing world like China, India, Brazil., would culminate into
the fields related to Nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing.
The scope and application of nanotechnology is tremendous and mind-boggling.
According to the scientists, 21st century would be the nanotechnology century. It
is estimated that nanotechnology would revolutionize every area, be it medicine,
aerospace, engineering, various industrial and technological areas, health or any
other field. Nanobiotechnology can make tiny medical devices and sensors with
fantastic military and civilian use. Converting sunlight into power, targeting a drug
to a single malignant cell, cleaning ponds and creating sensors in the form of
biochip, to be interested in the human body are some of the important landmark
breakthroughs of nanotechnology. The technology has the potential to produce
garments which can block chemical and biological weapons from touching the
skin of a person.

Society wants and appreciates marvelous things, but is it prepared to accept the
way in which they are made, and their possible risks. Economic disruption from
an abundance of cheap products, economic oppression from artificially inflated
prices, personal risk from criminal or terrorist use, constant intrusive surveillance,
oppression from abusive restrictions, social disruption from new
products/lifestyles, unstable arms race leading to war, collective environmental
damage from unregulated products, black market in molecular manufacturing
(increases other risks),competing nanotechnology programs (increases other
risks) and many more. Simultaneously, it is definite to foresee that impact on
society would be tremendous and beyond imagination. The combined impacts of
nanotechnology will equal the Industrial Revolutions of the last two centuries —
but with all that change compressed into just a few years. Impacts will cross
borders — global transformation
In one study investigating the role of universities in the field of nanotechnology to
enhance its global competitiveness and sustainable economic growth., with
special focus on the experiences and challenges faced by universities, shows
that they face the quantitative challenge of an inadequate number of Schools that
are involved in nanotechnology activities. This study, therefore, adds to the
global discussion on the role of the Universities in the field of nanotechnology.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are at the intersection of almost all of the

disciplines including biology, engineering, medicine, physics, and chemistry. As a
result, research and development arenas at the nanoscale are very
interdisciplinary and overlapping. This means that individuals have the
opportunity to choose engineering or research jobs and career paths in fields as
diverse as biomedical and biotechnology, MEMs/NEMs, microfluidics, material
science, optoelectronics, energy and the environment,
pharmaceuticals/cosmetics, and microelectronics.

Where are the jobs? According to Pamela Bailey, President, Tinytechjobs, right
now the need for qualified nanotechnology employees comes from:
 1. Established industries such as microelectronics, information storage, and
optoelectronics that have traditionally used microtechnology and are
expanding research into smaller and smaller technology, structures, and
devices.
2. New industries that have been created as a result of nanotechnology:
nanotechnology materials and coatings, nanotechnology structures
(crystal, wires, tubes, etc.), MEMS/NEMS, nanobiotechnology,
nanoelectronics, microfluidics, and others.
3. Major industries such as the chemical, pharmaceutical/biotech, energy,
aerospace and transportation, and many other industries that are now
beginning to see the promise of nanotechnology.
4. The many research, nanofabrication, foundry, and user facilities funded by
the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

How one can find these jobs? As mentioned above, nanotechnology itself is very
interdisciplinary. People working in nanotechnology will be required to have skills
and qualifications ranging from molecular biology and biochemistry to physics to
chemistry to electrical and mechanical engineering. And companies hiring people
with nanotechnology skills can be from industries such as the automobile,
chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, energy or any number of other industries.
To find these jobs, one should, therefore, define the type of job one is looking for
and make a list of target companies who might hire people for that or related
jobs. Don't forget to check out the resources in your university or alumni career
center and you can also visit the career resources sections of many professional
associations. The key is to stay focused, follow up on every lead or contact and
be diligent. It may take some time, but all your hard work will be rewarded with an
interesting and challenging job in a rapidly growing field with great potential.

Need not to overemphasize; nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary subject which

essentially combines Physics, Chemistry, Bio- informatics Bio- technology, and
various other engineering subjects etc. Though the field is at present in infancy
stage (started around two decades ago in India), the country is making dedicated
efforts not to lag behind after starting work in this field. As a result, it is felt that
there is a great demand for students who do their M. Tech in nanotechnology
because a large number of industries and laboratories in India and overseas
would lab them up. There are many exciting new fields which will open up for the
nanotechnology experts including- Health Industry research and consulting-
pharmaceutical, medical, agriculture, food and beverage, environment industries,
Research and development in government, universities and private research
institutes, Education and academic, Entrepreneurial, management and
investment advisors in biotechnology and research and development industry,
Product development ,Communication and media, Interfacing of new
technologies. Many new industries are emerging as a result of advances in
nanotechnology.
To become a successful professional in the specified field of nanotechnology, it
is important that you should have an M. Tech degree in the subject. To get into
an M. Tech course, you should have a degree in Physics, Chemistry or
Biotechnology. The M. Tech course is of great benefit because students who
come from different streams enrich each other to intensify their knowledge.

In 2003, Dr. Roco of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), USA, indicated
that annual industrial production in the nanotechnology sectors is estimated to
exceed $1 trillion in 10-15 years, and that would require about 2 million
nanotechnology workers. As nanotech moves from research into
commercialization, the National Science Foundation (NSF) estimates that
800,000 to one million nanotechnology workers will be needed in the United
States. If you would like a job in nanotech, but don't have the qualifications, there
are lots of resources and educational programs.
Roughly 70% of the 2001 funding proposed under the NNI was slated to go
towards university-based research which would help meet the growing demand
for workers with nanoscale science and engineering skills. The US Fiscal Year
2003 budget request included $140.93 million for fundamental nanotechnology
research and education. For fiscal year 2005, estimated funding for
nanotechnology research across 11 agencies totals nearly $1 billion.
The 2005 Goals of the National Nanotechnology Initiative to develop educational
resources, a skilled workforce, and to support infrastructure and tools that will
advance nanotechnology is being filled in by adopting many measures.