Johns Hopkins University (JHU) will team with the Belgian Interuniversity Micro-Electronics Centre (IMEC) to provide a three-year program of international research experience for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students through projects at the interface of nanoscience and medical science. During ten-week internships abroad, students will work on cooperative research projects, mentored by JHU researchers and counterparts at IMEC. Prior to their internships in Belgium, student participants will prepare by spending the academic year working with a research group at Johns Hopkins University or in a laboratory where they can develop essential technical skills that are relevant to an ongoing JHU-IMEC project. Through this well balanced, collaborative research program with intensive, early career student engagement, the principal investigator and his Belgian counterparts intend to pursue results that lead to bioengineering advances in therapeutic polymer-nanoparticle drug delivery and medical diagnostics, with the long-term goal of improving future healthcare technologies.
The US-Belgian International Research Experience for Students (IRES) focuses on bioengineering and combines the complementary strengths of JHU in biomedical sciences and complementary IMEC expertise in nanotechnology and microfabrication. As the international partner, IMEC offers: (1) state-of-the-art microfabrication facilities and staffing, (2) a well-established life sciences research group dedicated to finding ways to apply nano-electronics to healthcare, and (3) a diverse, international and multicultural R&D environment. The U.S. students, recruited from diverse backgrounds, who are involved in this program will be exposed to teamwork in the global economy and will be trained in a research field that has significant potential societal impact.
