UC San Diego Awarded NSF Grant to Launch Semiconductor Workforce Development Pilot

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Engineers at the University of California San Diego have been awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a pilot initiative aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled US workers going into the growing domestic semiconductor industry.

The program will offer engineering and computer science students from UC San Diego, and other colleges in the region, access — at no cost — to both technical courses in semiconductors and to hands-on semiconductor fabrication training in advanced cleanroom labs at UC San Diego. In addition, the program offers participating students direct connections to job opportunities within the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem. Students who complete the approximately one-year program will earn a certificate, but more importantly, they will be highly competitive for a range of career paths within the growing domestic semiconductor industry. 

 Applications for this program are now open. If you would like to learn more about getting trained to join the semiconductor workforce in the next two years, click here.

Looking ahead, advances in semiconductors are driving emerging industries across healthcare, defense, energy, communications and any other industry where microelectronics (chips) are being used.

The semiconductor courses are industry-endorsed and offered through the online learning platform SEMI University, while the hands-on semiconductor learning takes place at UC San Diego in nano-fabrication facilities funded, in part, by the NSF

"This is about preparing students for domestic jobs in advanced semiconductors, and it’s about securing the future of U.S. innovation," said Kiana Aran, a UC San Diego professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Medicine who is leading the new project. "One of the largest national gaps in workforce readiness is in semiconductors, and this program provides a new model for how academia, industry and government can work together to close it."

Aran is a pioneer in the field of bioelectronics with a proven track record in semiconductor-based biotech startups including Cardea bio (M&A by paragraf) and CRISPR QC. She brings a unique perspective that bridges academic research, advanced technology development and real-world applications. This new semiconductor workforce development initiative she created is called the Semiconductor Workforce Advancement Nexus.

SEMI University, the entity providing the online semiconductor courses for this pilot project, is a leading learning platform designed to educate and empower people who are looking to build or advance careers within the semiconductor industry. SEMI University is part of the semiconductor industry association called SEMI.

“Investing in education is essential to strengthening the semiconductor workforce, closing the talent gap, and fueling the innovation that drives the industry forward,” said Shari Liss, vice president of global workforce development and initiatives at SEMI. “UC San Diego’s NSF-funded pilot program, with support from SEMI University, shows the power of collaboration between academia, industry and government through expanding student access to semiconductor courses, building critical skills, and inspiring the next generation of talent."

In parallel, hands-on learning at UC San Diego will be a key part of how students explore the world of advanced semiconductors. This experiential learning will take place in cleanrooms and other advanced laboratories that are part of Nano3 at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute.

“Semiconductors offer exciting career pathways for engineering and computer science students across the country,” said Aran. “There are many ways that students can link their interests and expertise to future challenges in semiconductors. With this pilot project, support from the NSF and collaboration with SEMI University, we have the opportunity to create a scalable workforce pipeline for the emerging semiconductor industry in the U.S.”

Advanced semiconductors are central to industrial innovation in artificial intelligence, healthcare, defense, energy, communications, transportation and many other areas.

“I am excited to see this semiconductor pilot project scale up,” said Albert P. Pisano, dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and special adviser to the chancellor. “At the Jacobs School of Engineering, we train the innovation workforce for the economy to come — and in this future economy, demand for an inspired semiconductor workforce will be great. In fact, this semiconductor workforce initiative is a wonderful example of the unique ways that a world-class engineering school like the Jacobs School can partner with industry and government funding agencies in order to train an ever larger US workforce that will power emerging industries that both advance and make use of semiconductors.”