State semiconductor alliance finalizes staff, launches career training program
The Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST) has made final additions to its staff ahead of launching the Fast Track to Semiconductor Careers certificate training program.
The training program is one of four initiatives as part of VAST’s mission to reskill and upskill adult learners in different aspects of the semiconductor industry to provide internship opportunities that create a pathway to employment. Staffing was the last step before the training program could begin.
Four process engineers join the VAST team and will be instrumental in the instruction of the hands-on portion of the chip fabrication and nano characterization certificate training program. Swarnanjali (Swarna) Bose, Makhes Behera, Akib Jabed, and Moheb Sheikhi are located throughout the state at VAST’s partner universities. The certificate training program’s first cohort will offer hands-on training in Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Charlottesville at the University of Virginia (UVA), and in Norfolk at Old Dominion University (ODU). Four hands-on training locations will be available for the second cohort later this year.
New team members
Nathan Cushing joins VAST as the associate director for partnerships to help the organization develop relationships throughout Virginia to help further VAST’s mission of advancing semiconductors throughout the Commonwealth.
Prior to joining VAST, Cushing led operational processes and talent acquisition strategies for several large corporations that reduced inefficiencies, enhanced organizational capabilities, and strengthened business processes across multiple functional areas.
Cushing holds a master’s degree in software intensive systems engineering and a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering and operations research from George Mason University.
“We are thrilled to have Nate join the VAST team,” said Masoud Agah, VAST founding and executive director. “Nate plays a pivotal role in helping connect industry, academia, and communities to position Virginia as a leader in semiconductors.”
Swarnanjali (Swarna) Bose joins VAST as a process engineer and will be in Charlottesville at the UVA.
Bose’s passion for nanotechnology and its applications led her to earn a Master of Science in engineering with a focus on nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Technology in nanotechnology at Sri Ramaswamy Memorial Institute of Science and Technology.
“We are thankful to have Swarna in Charlottesville to assist UVA in further collaborating with other Virginia universities,” said Art Lichtenberger, director of the UVA Innovations in Fabrication facility. “Collaboration helps advance research and Virginia’s semiconductor industry.”
Makhes Behera, Ph.D. also joins VAST as a process engineer and will be in Norfolk at Norfolk State University (NSU).
Behara previously served as an adjunct professor and instructor at NSU after earning his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at the university. He also holds a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Tech and a Bachelor of Technology in electrical engineering from National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, India.
Akib Jabed, Ph.D. will serve as a VAST process engineer in Richmond at VCU.
Jabed joins VAST after previously serving as a semiconductor packaging engineer at VisIC Technologies US in Phoenix, Arizona, where he played a key role in prototyping new designs and analyzing thermal, mechanical, and electrical measurements of semiconductor devices.
Jabed earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas-Dallas, a Master of Science in engineering from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh.
“Akib has already shown to be a valuable part of the VAST team and is assisting the VCU team in our collaborative efforts throughout Virginia,” said Nibir Dhar, VCU professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Virginia Microelectronics Center. “Virginia and VAST have the potential to be a model for other states in how to engage academia, industry, and communities to advance the semiconductor industry."
Moheb Sheikhi, Ph.D. joins VAST as a process engineer in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech.
Sheikhi earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in materials physics and chemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Partnerships and collaboration are fundamental to VAST’s mission in positioning Virginia as a leader in semiconductors.
VAST is a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering innovation, research, and workforce development in the semiconductor industry within the Commonwealth of Virginia. It seeks to accelerate technological advancements and drive economic growth in the region by bringing together industry, academia, and government stakeholders.
For more information about VAST and its initiatives, please visit www.vast-alliance.org.
