Norman Schumaker, PhD
Director of Marketing and Corporate Development
Chairman, Co-founder, and CEO of Molecular Imprints (recently retired)

Educational path
· Bachelor of Arts
· Masters and PhD in Molecular Chemistry

Tips/Advice to jumpstart a career in nanotechnology
What's fundamentally important, and it's not just for nanotechnology; it's almost any career development activity, is to build a good solid foundation skill-set. That should be focused around areas that people are interested in. So if you're interested in nanotechnology, I think chemistry, physics, electronics and biology are all areas in which you should build a solid foundation.

Why did you choose the field of nanotechnology?
My career has been mostly in semi-conductors, so moving into the areas of nanotechnology with high-resolution lithography was a natural evolution. High-resolution lithography has many applications outside of semi-conductors – so it was a logical extension.

How did you first get into nanotechnology?
It was actually because of a discussion with some professors at the University of Texas.

What is it like to work in nanotechnology?
Very stimulating, exciting area. It's a term with a very broad set of applications and converges many disciplines into new and exciting areas.