Careers in Nanotechnology

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Careers in Nanotechnology
Mark A. Banash, Ph.D. Vice President, Quality
Regulatory Affairs (Class of 82)
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Before we get started
"Eram quod es eris quod sum- Horace
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Impressions of Nanotech
A carbon nanotube string the width of sewing
thread could easily lift a large car. A nanotube
elevator ribbon would need to be no thicker than
plastic food wrap. Nanotubes would also make the
elevator car light, though large. CNNMoney.com
(2006)
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Nanotech Today
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State of Nanotechnology Business Today

• There is no killer app, only assassin apps
• Structural composites
• Multipurpose materials
• Nanomaterials showing the most promise are
• Carbon nanotubes
• Nanotitania and other inorganic oxides
• Nanosilver
• Nanogold
• Quantum dots
• No intrinsically nano devices
• No atom-by-atom assembly
• No massively parallel assembly

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Industrial Research Employment Outlook

• Employment at large companies is declining or
  holding steady
• Real wages at large companies are declining or
  holding steady
• Largest employment growth in small-to-midsize
  companies
• Start-ups
• Companies with lt 500 employees
• Breakthrough technologies typically not
  developed at large companies
• (although they may be purchased by them).

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The Rewards of This Job Environment
Hundreds of Microns - Millimeters
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The Valley of Death
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A Companys Chance of Success
RESEARCH
No. of Companies
CONCEPT
PROTOTYPE
PRODUCT
MFG
Time
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Paradigm Shift
When Moving Technology Into The Market

• Descriptive or Hypothetical Research
  Publications Alone Are Inadequate
• Leave Behind Idea Driven Work - Move To Market
  Driven Work
• Customers Are Very Suspicious of Enthusiastic
  Claims Any Technology (e.g. Nano) Can Do
  Everything.
• Bar Is Raised Even Higher When
• The More Critical The Mission or End Use
• The More Novel The Solution

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Remember Customers Want Sure Things

• Your technology must provide
• Application fitness efficacy
• Proof-positive performance
• Reproducibility
• Reliability
• Documentation Certification
• Affordability
• Availability

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Ideal Nanotech Business Summary

• Find and Fix Pain Points
• Selectively Move Up The Value Chain
• Drop Ins For Current Processes
• Leverage End-User Relationships
• Exploit And Extend Manufacturing Lead
• Strategic Relationships With Market Leaders

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NCTI Is Starting To Climb Out Of The Valley
RESEARCH
MANUFACTURING
PRODUCT
CONCEPT
PROTOTYPE
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Other CNT Producers
SHORT TUBES Like Powders Difficult
Incorporation Make Inferior Products
Safety Issues
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Real Materials
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Materials Made On Industrial Scale Equipment
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Real Products
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A Typical Nanotech Company

• Likely to be small, lt 30 employees
• Likely to be start-ups or in other early phase
• Offering a solution in search of a problem
  (Applications Development)
• Funded entirely through government grants,
  founders own money, or outside investors not
  through sales

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How This Affects You

• Employees often required to go beyond their
  professional training and do multiple jobs
• Level of funding critical - jobs, projects, and
  plans can disappear based on how funding evolves
  and its rate of burn
• Often compensated with options, outright
  ownership, or other stake in the company

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Questions to Ask Yourself

• Do I see a true path to commercialization?
• Is this technically sound?
• Do I believe these people can actually do this?
• What value does this provide to the customer and
  what type of competition is there?
• Do I have the right skills? And what skills will
  I develop in this role?
• How does this get me to the next stage in my
  career?

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Where do I find opportunities?

• Govt National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)
  (www.nano.gov)
• Professional groups Nanobusiness Alliance (NBA)
  (www.nanobusiness.org)
• Networking with established professionals
  (mbanash_at_nanocomptech.com)
• Networking with investment firms
• Networking with professional recruiters

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Where dont I find opportunities?

• Monster.com
• Practically any on-line job service
• www.tinytechjobs.com
• ops.theladder.com
• Employment sections of company websites

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Is a career like this worthwhile?
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Questions?
Mark Banash Nanocomp Technologies 162 Pembroke
Road Concord, NH 03301 [phone], ext. 103