The Heldrich Center has started work on the latest phase of a five-year study of the workforce implications of nanotechnology in the United States. The Heldrich Center, in partnership with the Center for Nanotechnology and Society at Arizona State University, is conducting several interrelated research projects to understand how nanotechnology is changing employer skill and education requirements, as well as how educational institutions are responding to the demand for qualified nanotechnology workers. Overall, the research that the Heldrich Center is conducting will assist the National Science Foundation (the study’s funding agency) and educational institutions to develop programs that better prepare future workers to deal with the challenges presented by the emerging applications of nanotechnology in the workplace.

As part of this phase of the project, the Heldrich Center has begun conducting case studies of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms in New Jersey. Similar studies will be conducted in the Chicago area later this fall. In addition, Heldrich Center researchers are developing a detailed inventory of credential-based nanotechnology programs in higher education. The inventory, which will be based on in-depth interviews with schools and a review of online information, will identify and describe major trends within programs.