APS Establishes New Industrial Fellows Program

In partnership with several industrial research organizations, the APS and its Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP) have created a new industrial fellowship program for APS members who are on the faculty in physics (and closely related) departments. According to James Kaufman of IBM Almaden Research Center, Chair of the FIAP Executive Committee, the program is aimed at strengthening the ties between US industry and academia, enriching the experiences of faculty members and ultimately enhancing physics education.

"It is hoped that faculty fellows will bring new skills and knowledge to the host company and help participating hosts enter new areas of research, and develop new ties with academia," says Kaufman. Several leading industrial research laboratories are already committed to participating in the program, including Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies, Dow Corning, Agilent Technologies, Ford Motor Company, IBM, Motorola, HRL Laboratories, and Schlumberger-Doll. The diverse research opportunities available at these companies include advanced electronics for communications, test and measurement, materials, compound semiconductor devices and processes, novel algorithms and code, microfludics, optics, ultrasonics, and X-ray physics, among other specialized areas.

For its part, the APS has created an on-line tool for interested industrial companies to register their participation and to post industrial fellowship opportunities. Applications from interested faculty members can be submitted on-line and screened by the APS to ensure validity. All decisions regarding fellowship offers will be made by the industrial sponsor, which will also be responsible for the salaries and expenses of participating faculty members