The Future is Now: Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators
This year, Smart Nano NI was thrilled to welcome Aedan and Ahmed for work experience. This kind of outreach is incredibly important to us. While we are dedicated to world-leading academic research and product development, we also see these opportunities as a chance to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to get excited about the fields of photonics, nanotechnology, and smart manufacturing.
Hear from Our Students
The best way to understand the impact of these experiences is to hear it from the students themselves.
"Partaking in work experience with Smart Nano was nothing short of amazing. Being introduced to a whole new world of emerging technology along with the specialists responsible for powering such innovation was invaluable. I was given insight into the application and process of 3D printing, which I found incredibly interesting—even getting to use the printers. I also learned key communication skills by watching Mike Hardy, who showed the importance of deconstructing complex ideas into more digestible, easy-to-understand solutions."
— Aedan Campbell, Work Experience Student, Scotland
"I recently spent three days in June 2025 on a work placement with the Smart Nano team at Queen's University Belfast. It was awesome to see their 3D printing machines in action and learn how they help build tiny structures in nanotechnology. I even used one of the machines to print a 3D logo for my football team, which was really impressive. Dr. Mike Hardy from the organizing team was super friendly and explained tricky concepts in a way that actually made sense. Overall, it was inspiring and has really got me thinking about studying nanotechnology at university."
— Ahmed Ali, Work Experience Student, St. Columb’s College, L’Derry
More Than Just a Lab
We also recently had the pleasure of welcoming two groups of students from the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) for a short visit. During their tour, they met with experts like Dr. Pooja Kanade, who explained our new probe station for electrical testing, and PhD Candidate Arran Ashfield and Dr. Ata Ur Rahman Khalid, who shared their work in quantum optics and meta-surface simulations.
A big thank you to Dr. Mike Hardy (QUB), who coordinated the visits and gave a tour of our now fully functioning Smart Nano lab at Queen’s University Belfast. We also want to thank Dr. Katie Cavanagh (Yelo Ltd), Jenny McAuley, and Catherine Clydesdale (both from AMIC) for their help in organizing these valuable experiences.
We are so grateful to Aedan, Ahmed, and all the students who visited us. Your curiosity and enthusiasm are what make our work meaningful.
Want to learn more about the AMIC students' visit? You can read about it on the AMIC website here.