2026 Albany Nanotechnology Symposium at UAlbany Spotlights Metrology Advances

By Bethany Bump

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 28, 2026) — The 2026 Albany Nanotechnology Symposium returns to UAlbany’s ETEC Building on Oct. 22-23, with researchers, industry professionals and students from across the semiconductor, quantum and photonics fields expected to converge on Albany for two days of talks, posters and networking.

The symposium, which will take place on the final two days of UAlbany’s Research & Economic Development (R&E) Week, centers around emerging technologies and innovation across the Northeast, with a particular focus this year on metrology, or the specialized methods used to measure incredibly small features on computer chips during fabrication.

Talks will also explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping semiconductor manufacturing — from AI-driven materials discovery to faster, better production of the chips that power our modern electronics, cars and computing infrastructure.

Featured speakers

Over the course of two days, attendees will hear from over two dozen speakers on a variety of industry-relevant topics.

• Teresa Wu, who works in Semiconductors Design Program Management at IBM, will deliver opening remarks.
• Daniel Schmidt, chief technology officer at Laser Thermal, will deliver a keynote address on the first day, “Keeping the AI Era Cool: Thermal Metrology for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing,” about the challenges of keeping chips cool as growing AI workloads generate more heat.  
• Other featured speakers include Damon Tsai, senior director of product marketing at Applied Materials, and David Palsulich, director of Corporate Labs and Incoming Quality Control at Micron.
• Speakers from institutions including UAlbany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York University, GlobalFoundries, IBM, FabuBlox and Rigaku will also deliver brief talks.  

On day two, a workshop on metrology will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Atomic Force Microscopy, an imaging technique from the 1980s that transformed the field of nanoscience by allowing scientists to see and measure what’s happening at the atomic scale.

About the symposium

The annual event has been held for over a decade and continues to grow in attendance and participation, reflecting the growing body of semiconductor research and manufacturing expertise clustered in the Capital Region.

Organized by the companies and institutions affiliated with the Albany Nanotech Complex, the symposium receives sponsorship and participation from UAlbany, IBM, Tokyo Electron, Applied Materials, NY Creates, GlobalFoundries and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

“One of the aspects that sets the Albany semiconductor research environment apart is the co-location of academic and industry researchers at one site, which UAlbany has been a key part of since 1997," said Michele Grimm, dean of UAlbany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering. "The Albany Nanotech Complex, which continues to grow under NY Creates' leadership, allows both pre-competitive and competitive research to take advantage of shared resources. The Albany Nanotech Symposium is an example of the sharing of knowledge — scientific advances and the next problems to tackle — that spurs the continued cycle of discovery, innovation and translation that keeps the Albany ecosystem at the forefront of semiconductor research."

The 2026 Albany Nanotechnology Symposium is underwritten by UAlbany, with support from the Division for Research and Economic Development through R&E Week, the Provost’s Office, the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, the Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the Center for Advanced Technology in Nanomaterials and Nanoelectronics (CATN2), the Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology (CENN), and others.

See the full program agenda and speaker lineup.

Attendees must register in advance; the general fee is $50 but students can get in for $10.