A Decade of Workforce Development with National Impact

AIM Photonics was established a decade ago with a bold and forward-looking mission: to propel innovation in integrated photonic circuits (PICs) and develop the skilled workforce needed to sustain its growth in the United States. From the outset, the Institute recognized that progress in this industry depends on more than world-class fabrication facilities or access to advanced design tools. It requires a steady pipeline of technicians, engineers, researchers, and administrators who deeply understand PIC technology and can apply that knowledge in real-world manufacturing.

It’s no longer anecdotal to say that the future is photonics. As the limits of traditional electronics are being reached, PICs have become essential to not only maintaining, but also accelerating the performance of systems that power our modern world. From data centers and 5G networks to autonomous vehicles and quantum technologies, electronics increasingly depend on photonics to meet the demands of speed, scale, and efficiency. Integrated photonic circuits isn’t just an emerging field—it’s an enabling one.

AIM Photonics' Education and Workforce Development (EWD) program was built around this reality. It’s designed to prepare highly qualified individuals for careers in PIC design and manufacturing, while strengthening the domestic workforce to meet the evolving needs of the U.S. integrated photonics industry. Through a combination of hands-on training, virtual courses, experiential learning, and curriculum development, AIM Photonics continuously contributes to filling the talent funnel by training the next generation of photonics professionals.

The Strategic Value of a Skilled Workforce

In integrated photonics, innovation alone isn’t enough. Real-world deployment demands a highly specialized workforce capable of designing, testing, packaging, and manufacturing PICs for a range of industry sectors.

For national defense, that capability must exist within U.S. borders, where sensitive intellectual property, trade secrets, and mission-critical supply chains can be protected. Commercially, a skilled domestic workforce means faster product development and companies that are well-positioned to respond to market needs and capitalize on emerging opportunities. In both sectors, maintaining a technological edge depends on individuals with the expertise to understand and apply advanced technologies to drive continuous innovation.

AIM Photonics’ EWD program, led by a dedicated team of education professionals, addresses one of the industry’s most pressing needs: a well-trained, domestic workforce. By focusing on education and training at multiple levels, the program exemplifies one of the Institute’s core strengths—identifying critical gaps in the skilled talent base and delivering targeted, effective solutions that help move the industry forward.

Training for Today—and Tomorrow

By offering multiple on-ramps to learning, AIM Photonics’ EWD program meets individuals where they are and prepares them for where the industry is going. More than 13,000 participants have completed AIM Photonics educational programs, from students exploring PIC design for the first time to industry professionals deepening their expertise in silicon photonics.

AIM Photonics offers online design courses that provide flexible access to in-demand skills in electronic-photonic design automation—critical capabilities for the growing photonics workforce. Its courses in fabless PIC design and PIC sensor design regularly fill to capacity, reflecting strong demand from professionals across industry, government, and academia. Participants gain hands-on experience that prepares them to complete photonic integrated circuit designs, many of which are submitted and fabricated through AIM Photonics’ multi-project wafer program. To support broader workforce readiness, AIM Photonics also offers foundational online courses that require less intensive participation but still help build literacy in PIC operation and design fundamentals across a wide range of skill levels.

Ultimately, working with PICs requires both strong theoretical knowledge and practical experience, and AIM Photonics’ EWD program supports this balance through offerings that combine comprehensive instruction with hands-on learning opportunities. Students and incumbent workers have completed in-person training through programs such as AIM Photonics’ Summer Academy at MIT—which emphasizes deep conceptual understanding through lectures and collaborative design projects—as well as its Test and Packaging Workshop at RIT and the University of Rochester, and PIC Bootcamp at the LEAP (Lab for Education and Application Prototypes) facilities at MIT and Bridgewater State University, which offer more intensive hands-on experience with PIC design, testing, metrology tools, and packaging equipment. Together, these programs provide focused instruction from industry experts and leading university faculty, enabling participants to build both a strong theoretical foundation and practical skills directly applicable to integrated photonics careers.

AIM Photonics’ internships and co-ops go beyond traditional hands-on experience to offer personalized mentorship and the freedom to explore innovative approaches. Participants aren’t just troubleshooting existing problems—they’re learning how to think critically and apply new methods to tackle challenges that haven’t been solved before. Many interns describe this as a career-defining experience, thanks to the close guidance they receive and the opportunity to chart their own research paths. Along with gaining technical skills across the full PIC development cycle—from design and device modeling to fabrication, testing, and packaging—students also build meaningful professional connections with commercial employers, national labs, and university collaborators. This immersive experience provides unique insight into real-world career opportunities throughout the U.S. photonics industry.

Expanding Photonics Education Across the U.S.

Workforce development also involves expanding educational access and alignment. AIM Photonics works closely with higher education institutions to help integrate PIC-focused content into academic programs, strengthening photonics instruction across the country. Key collaborators include Rochester Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, University at Albany, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as community colleges and regional universities. These academic alliances help ensure that photonics concepts are incorporated in engineering curricula at all levels.

This growing network of institutions is now being more rigorously supported by AIM Photonics’ Hands-on Photonics Education (HOPE) Kits, which give educators practical tools to bring PIC concepts into the classroom and lab. In settings where access to advanced testing infrastructure is limited, the HOPE Kits offer a practical, affordable way to provide meaningful hands-on experience. Designed for flexibility, the kits can also be integrated into electrical engineering, optics, and other related courses — expanding the reach of photonics education and helping more students engage with the technology as part of their core training.

By enabling this kind of high-impact instruction, AIM Photonics is helping to embed integrated photonics into the fabric of U.S. engineering education. As global dependence on data, connectivity, and advanced computing accelerates, so does the demand for photonics—a technology essential to both national security and economic resilience. AIM Photonics’ efforts not only prepare the workforce for the future, they help ensure that the United States remains a leader in the technologies that define it.

The Long Game: Building a Workforce That Moves the Industry Forward

The education and workforce development mission at AIM Photonics is not just about filling jobs—it’s about building the specialized talent base the U.S. integrated photonics industry needs to succeed.

By cultivating a nationwide learning infrastructure, AIM Photonics is helping ensure that critical knowledge and skills are developed, applied, and advanced within the United States. That means a steady supply of engineers, technicians, researchers, and educators who not only understand integrated photonics from the inside out, but can help U.S. companies innovate, grow, and compete on the global stage.

This is the groundwork that enables a thriving domestic industry and AIM Photonics is helping build a workforce ready to lead the future of integrated photonics.