Industrial Leadership in Physics

Regents Hall hallway

Founded in 2001, the Industrial Leadership in Physics (ILP) program at Georgetown University fosters academic excellence while providing students with the necessary tools for successful careers in high-tech industry. Students take the normal advanced physics courses supplemented by McDonough School of Business courses in business and entrepreneurship. The program is designed for students interested in industrial careers and a targeted educational experience.

The ILP program combines a graduate-level curriculum in applied physics with business coursework and an industrial apprenticeship. The apprenticeship gives students experience solving problems of industrial interest, and allows them to develop skills in communication, research, and teamwork.

Download our Apprenticeship Fact Sheet

Key Program Features

  • Coursework in business fundamentals
  • A 11.5 month industrial apprenticeship
  • An independent advisory committee of industrial leaders

Recent Apprenticeships

ELI ADLER AT ARMY RESEARCH LABS

I did my apprenticeship at Army Research Labs in Adelphi, MD. Getting to experience a government lab setting has been quite the experience! I was lucky enough to continue my research in collaboration with ARL while having the privilege to use the numerous state of the art equipment, attend and present at a conference for other labs(Naval Research labs, Air Force research labs, and NIST). It was a very rewarding opportunity to experience a work setting outside of academia which has given me a better understanding of my preferred work place after Georgetown.

PEIRAN JIN AT SEAGATE’S R&D GROUP

I took the internship in Seagate’s R&D group in Shakopee, MN. It was a great experience to work with people who do modeling and simulation in the industry. I learned the GPU parallel computing based on CUDA and contributed to improving the model of the team. The ILP apprenticeship program is a great chance for me to prepare myself to pursue the career in industry.

ANDREW HANKINS AT SCIENTIFIC AND BIOMEDICAL MICROSYSTEMS

My ILP apprenticeship opportunity with Scientific and Biomedical Microsystems has been extremely rewarding. I have gained valuable experience and insight into the many facets of scientific research in industry including, program management, budget planning, program execution, cost effective science, and business leadership. The ILP apprenticeship program is both a tremendous opportunity for gaining real world experience and for understanding the interplay and roles of scientists in both industry and academics.

SCOTT MELIS AT NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES

The ILP apprenticeship has been really rewarding because of the job experience that it has given me. It has been an opportunity to learn techniques from researchers who operate in a different environment than our department. I believe that this diversity in experience will benefit me in my future career and contribute to my growth as I continue in our Physics program at Georgetown.

Oliver Albertini, IBM Almaden Research Center

I did an internship at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA, working with Barbara Jones and the scanning tunneling microscopy group (STM). As a theorist, it was great to work closely with experimentalists (the STM was just across the hall from me). Also, it was an eye-opening experience to do physics research in an industrial setting. The skills of a physics graduate student are useful in many places; not just academia.