The Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS) at Georgia Tech has selected its second cohort for the IMS Graduate Apprenticeship Program. The program gives graduate students hands-on experience in materials research, facility operations, and systems-level problem-solving. 

Following a competitive application process, IMS selected students whose research interests align with its core capabilities in fabrication and characterization. Apprentices work closely with IMS staff and faculty mentors to support facility operations and contribute to research projects. 

“The graduate apprentice program gives students hands-on experience with facilities operations, process development, data analysis, and user support while helping IMS meet the growing demand for our research infrastructure,” said Eric Vogel, executive director of IMS.

The IMS Graduate Apprenticeship Program is a structured, paid alternative to traditional teaching assistantships. Apprentices commit 10 hours per week to facility operations and receive support for 50% of their graduate stipend and tuition. 

"We saw a significant increase in applications this year, and IMS expanded its support for the program in response,” said Anna Österholm, principal research scientist and IMS Graduate Apprenticeship Program coordinator. “We’re growing from nine apprentices last year to 13 students working across our facilities this year.”

The apprentices represent disciplines across science and engineering and will receive training in microfabrication, nanofabrication, or materials characterization. They also will assist with instrument calibration, process development, sample testing, and data analysis for internal and external research projects. 

2026 Cohort 

• Ehiremen Asemewanlen, Ph.D. student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Kayla Chuong, Ph.D. student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Parker Dulin, Ph.D. student in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Kristen Gram, Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Abigial Hefferan, Ph.D. student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Matthew Kim, M.Sc. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Justin Nakamura, Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Shweta Ram, M.Sc. student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering
• David Thompson, Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Oscar Toro, Ph.D. student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Wei-Chen Wang, Ph.D. student in the School of Physics
• Eric Zhang, Ph.D. student in the School of Physics
• Olivia Zhang, Ph.D. student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Mentors 

• Devin Brown
• Lila Dahal
• Josh Davies-Jones
• Durga Gajula
• Melissa Hunt 
• Seung-Joon Paik
• David Tavakoli
• Mengkun Tian
• Stephan Turano
• Todd Walters

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