News
Microsystems Engineering Ph.D.

Twelve RIT alumni have been honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards for the 2023-2024 year. The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually by each of RIT’s nine colleges, the School of Individualized Study, and the RIT Graduate School to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.

Brian Landi and Katie McConky have been named department heads of the chemical engineering and industrial and systems engineering programs in the college. Both bring extensive teaching, research, and company experience to the academic leadership positions in the engineering college.

AIM Photonics hosted several days of training Aug. 15-17 in Photonic Integrated Circuits: Testing and Packaging Boot Camp, including one day at RIT.

From building a cleanroom in his family home while he was in high school to becoming an entrepreneur and Ph.D., it is no wonder that RIT alumnus Matt Hartensveld is viewed as a future leader in the microelectronics industry. He was recently named SEMICON West 20 under 30 awardee, given by the organization to recognize the microelectronic industry’s brightest young leaders.

RIT is one of six U.S. universities named as part of an international partnership to improve competitiveness in computer chip design, development, and manufacturing. Micron Corp. and the National Science Foundation announced the partnership and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the 2023 G7 Summit in Japan.

RIT will confer a record 69 Ph.D. degrees during commencement May 12, marking a 53 percent increase from last year.

RIT recently acquired Vanguard Automation’s SONATA 1000 3D-nanoprinter, a next-generation technology for advanced photonic packaging and integration. The new equipment will advance how the university is solving the challenges of building and using photonic integrated circuit chips, lasers, and optical fibers.

Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE) alumni from points across the U.S. were honored with alumni awards recognizing their achievement and leadership at a reception at RIT’s University Gallery during National Engineers Week.

RIT recently became a partner in the SUPREME Center (Superior Energy-efficient Materials and Devices), a new $34 million research center based at Cornell University. The center will focus on development of energy-efficient semiconductor materials and technologies.

Kai Ni, assistant professor of electrical and microelectronic engineering, was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to improve computing memory through the use of ferroelectric materials and capacity.

Intelligent power and sensing technology corporation onsemi announced funding to Kate Gleason College of Engineering to support educational programming and research in advancing today’s semiconductor industry.

RIT is growing its Ph.D. offerings, adding one new program in the fall of 2023 and two in 2024. This fall, Saunders College of Business will offer a Ph.D. in business administration. In 2024, the College of Liberal Arts will introduce a new doctoral degree in cognitive science and the College of Science will launch a Ph.D. in physics.