Director, Materials Development & Pathfinding

Req  Director, Materials Development & Pathfinding

Our vision is to transform how the world uses information to enrich life for all.

Micron Technology is a world leader in innovating memory and storage solutions that accelerate the transformation of information into intelligence, inspiring the world to learn, communicate and advance faster than ever.

Micron has an immediate need for a Director of Materials Development & Pathfinding at our Albany, NY location.

Micron is establishing Albany Nanotech as a premier Memory Technology Center focused on advanced technology development, ground-breaking pathfinding, and ecosystem collaboration. Located within the NY CREATES research environment, Albany serves as a strategic platform for enabling future DRAM, NAND, Advanced Packaging, Photonics, CMOS, and next-generation memory technologies through the integration of innovative process capabilities, advanced materials research, and industry-leading partnerships. Albany's mission includes advancing materials innovation, process development, supplier collaboration, and future technology exploration to accelerate Micron's technology leadership.

As Director of Materials Development & Pathfinding, you will lead Albany Nanotech's materials strategy, technology roadmap, and organizational development. You will build and lead a world-class team responsible for advanced materials research, thin films process development, and ground-breaking technology pathfinding initiatives that enable Micron's future product and technology roadmaps.

This organization will be responsible for developing and integrating materials technologies supporting future DRAM, NAND, Advanced Packaging, Photonics, and emerging device architectures. Areas of responsibility include Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), diffusion, epitaxy, thermal processing, selective deposition, advanced materials characterization, precursor evaluation, and novel materials exploration.

You will work across Micron's Technology Development organizations and with external research partners, universities, material suppliers, and equipment manufacturers to accelerate innovation and develop differentiated solutions for future memory technologies.

The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strategic leadership and organizational development capabilities, creating an environment that advances radical materials and process innovation from concept through integrated technology demonstration and transfer readiness.

• Define and implement the long-term materials development and pathfinding roadmap aligned to future DRAM, NAND, CMOS, Advanced Packaging, BEOL, Photonics, and emerging technology requirements.
• Identify and prioritize radical materials opportunities capable of enabling future scaling, performance, power, reliability, and cost objectives.
• Establish strategic roadmaps for advanced dielectric, conductor, barrier, liner, thermal management, bonding, and emerging semiconductor materials.
• Drive alignment between exploratory research, technology development, and future manufacturing needs
• Lead the adoption of AI-enabled tools and analytics to accelerate materials discovery, optimize process development, and improve engineering decision-making.

• Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
• Diffusion
• Epitaxy
• Thermal Processing and Annealing
• Selective Deposition Technologies
• Thin Films Development
• Materials Integration and Characterization
• Develop robust process modules that support both pathfinding investigations and integrated technology demonstrations.
• Drive technology readiness and process capability improvements to enable future technology insertions.

• Establish advanced materials discovery programs supporting future memory and semiconductor technologies.
• Develop workflows for evaluating novel materials from concept through 300 mm wafer demonstration.
• Lead the assessment of new precursor chemistries, deposition approaches, and emerging materials systems.
• Sponsor high-risk, high-reward research initiatives capable of creating long-term competitive advantage.
• Advance foundational research efforts into practical technology development opportunities.

• Develop strong technical relationships with leading equipment suppliers, material providers, research institutions,…