Student testimonies

Graduated students talk about their experiences

The Master in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology exists since 2006. Many students who have graduated are now working in industry, persueing a PhD or even continuing their studies. Underneath you find some testimonials by some Nano-alumni about their time in Leuven, about the master and about their international experiences. And of course, they all give you an introduction to their current job!

Dokus Mertens, Scientific Support Manager at Siemens Healthcare (Brussels)

“The master is a nice cocktail of different disciplines on the nanometerscale, with an international touch due to the large number of foreign students” says Dokus.

“My internship in Japan was without doubt an unforgettable experience within the Master. I had the opportunity to work for two months at Panasonic in Osaka at development of new storage media using carbon nanotubes (...)"

Ian De Bode, Electronics Process & Product development Manager at Umicore Electro-Optic Materials (Olen)

"Freshly graduated from the University, I started working for the Electro-Optic Material divisions of Umicore as a process & product development manager, where I supervise a research project for the European Space Agency. In addition, I use the knowledge obtained in my project to support our international customer base in their understanding of our product. Finally, I aid in the selection of new production tools which impact the final quality of the germanium substrates.

Overall, I can proudly say that my education has provided me with the perfect toolbox to carry out my profession. The broad scope that is offered during the nanotechnology masters degree, ranging from physics and chemistry to material science and characterization techniques, seamlessly reflects the necessary knowledge that any job in modern-day high-tech industry requires. Whether your job is Nanotech related or not, the education teaches you to identify the fundamental processes that govern a system, and coaches you to understand them. In my personal experience, this skill set will enable you to tackle any issue, on any scale, in any industry."

Pieter Weckx, PhD in device reliability at IMEC

Pieter is currently working on his PhD at IMEC, Leuven. He is working in the device reliability group and the main subject of his research is "How to cope with time-dependent variability problems by combined design/technology development". Pieter has always been interested in electronic design but he was also very keen to learn more about semiconductor technology. He chose specific eletronic design elective courses and he has a wide background in electronics now. Pieter also gives exercise sessions for the course of Semiconductor Components.

Dries Agten, Master Student in Space Science and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden

"Master of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Quite a mouthful, one thinks at first sight. However, I can tell you that its elaborate name is completely justified by the wide experience that you gain in this Master. Not only is it very multidisciplinary, it also offers you a unique opportunity to broaden your horizon and to interact with people from all over the world. For me personally, participating in this Master paved the way for an Erasmus Mundus Master course, more specifically the Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Space Science and Technology.  It is truly a completely different field, but I feel that, even here, I can benefit from my education in nanoscience and nanotechnology.  I hope that one day, you will be able to say the same!"