NanoPower Research Laboratories News

RIT has launched CMOS+X, a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program that prepares future STEM leaders with professional skills training, including interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific writing, strategic communication, and project management skills.

Engineering researcher Stephen Polly was recently appointed director of the RIT NanoPower Research Laboratory and will lead one of the university’s major research groups.

RIT is celebrating a record year for sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2025, receiving $105 million.

RIT has been selected to lead the United States Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3 (SSTI) research regarding advanced space power and propulsion, which includes $9.9 million in funding.

The award is part of the NSF’s Research Traineeship Program (NRT), a national initiative to better prepare master’s and doctoral students for the interdisciplinary talents required in semiconductor chip development. The grant will provide 20 doctoral student fellowships to advance research in the much-needed field of semiconductor technologies.

Ahmad Kirmani, assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, speaks at TEDxRIT, exploring how perovskites could transform space power.

RIT will take the lead on a new program that allows community college students to join the growing semiconductor industry. The intent is to build a pipeline of skilled employees for a strategic U.S. manufacturing industry.

Ahmad Kirmani’s research is helping to expand and improve space exploration through understanding how the metal-halide perovskite, the next-generation printable semiconductor, reacts to harsh extraterrestrial conditions and self-heals in those conditions.

Professor Seth Hubbard is an expert in designing, growing, and fabricating solar cells and said that if the cost of these highly efficient solar cells can be reduced enough, they could be used to help devices ranging from smartphones to drones to cars.