June 17, 2025
Call for Applications
AY25-26 UPWARDS-UW Graduate Fellowship in Memory Technology Research
Background: The University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future program is dedicated to addressing the global semiconductor workforce shortage through an international collaboration between six U.S. universities, five Japanese universities, Micron Technology, and Tokyo Electron (TEL). Supported jointly by NSF, Micron, and TEL, UPWARDS aims to create a US-Japan network to foster awareness and opportunities for the next generation of talents and workforce in the global semiconductor ecosystem, with a particular focus on increasing and including the participation of women.
Memory-centric Research: Memory technology is foundational to all computing architectures and lies at the heart of Micron’s expertise. Through UPWARDS, Micron and TEL are committed to providing students and researchers with unique opportunities to gain hands-on experience in research labs and facility, focusing on memory product development and production. Interested research areas include materials and chemical characterization for next-generation memory products, energy-efficient memory solutions, high-performance logic, tool design, and memory-centric computing models.
UPWARDS Graduate Fellowship: AY25-26 is the second year of the UPWARDS-UW graduate fellowship program, which is expanded to up to six graduate fellows in the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences. Each fellowship includes a graduate research assistantship stipend plus benefits and tuition for 9 months of the 2025-2026 academic year. Each fellowship is renewable for up to one additional year based on satisfactory performance and review by a committee. AY24-25 fellows are eligible to apply for renewal.
Selection Criteria:
- Research Relevance: Applicants must conduct research in areas relevant to memory technology as outlined above.
- Promotion of Workforce Expansion: Applicants strongly commit to improving the welcoming environment of the semiconductor workforce by initiating and engaging in recruitment programs.
- Collaboration with UPWARDS Network Schools: Proposed research activities should demonstrate potential for collaboration with other academic partners within the UPWARDS network.
- Travel Commitment: Fellows are expected to travel to Japan at least once to participate in or lead UPWARDS student exchange programs.
Application Requirements:
The following application materials are required to be submitted to upwards@uw.edu with “UPWARDS Graduate Fellowship Application” in the subject line:
- CV/Resume
- Research statement addressing the selection criteria. If renewal, statement of past year’s achievement (2-page limit, font size 11 or larger)
- One recommendation letter from the applicant’s research or academic advisor
Application Deadline: July 15th, 2025. Review will begin immediately, with fellowship awards announced in August for the 2025-2026 academic year.