Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is one of 11 universities that are partnering to grow the next-generation workforce and advance semiconductor research in the US and Japan. UPWARDS, which stands for the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors was established in 2023 to cultivate a more robust and highly-skilled semiconductor workforce, to drive emerging research, and develop leading semiconductor curricula in the US and Japan. UPWARDS is funded by Micron, Tokyo Electron, and the National Science Foundation.

Japanese Member Universities:
Hiroshima University
Kyushu University
Nagoya University
Tohoku University
Tokyo Tech

US Member Universities:
Boise State University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
University of Washington
Virginia Tech

The UPWARDS program emphasizes:

Development of cutting-edge curriculum
Advancing women in semiconductors
Providing experiential experiences
Conducting semiconductor and memory centric research
Facilitating student and faculty exchanges

RPI UPWARDS Program Activities:

UPWARDS Faculty Fellow

Esther Wertz, Associate Professor, Physics
Each university has named an UPWARDS Faculty Fellow. RPI’s Esther Wertz will play an important role in the engagement and support of Rensselaer’s activities under the UPWARDS for the Future program. The programmatic pillars are women in semiconductors, curriculum design, experiential learnings, memory-centric semiconductor research, and student and faculty exchanges.

UPWARDS Graduate Student Funding
RPI launched their first round of Graduate Student Awards in January 2024. Four students were selected for funding beginning in Summer 2024.

UPWARDS Steering Committee
Rebecca Doerge, Provost
Robert Hull, Vice President for Research
Shekhar Garde, Dean of Engineering
Sarah Niemann, Assistant Vice President for Research
Esther Wertz, UPWARDS Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor, Physics
Christian Wetzel, Professor, Physics

For more information, contact Sarah Niemann at niemas2@rpi.edu