{"690138":{"#nid":"690138","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Campus Learning to Industry Leadership","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe most unassuming actions can have the greatest outcomes. For Brandon Harrington, CmpE 2005, M.S. CmpE 2008, walking through the doors of the Pettit Microelectronics Building, then home to the Microelectronics Research Center (MiRC), during his freshman year 25 years ago changed the course of his career.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach week on his way to the Howey Physics Building, Harrington passed the MiRC, wondering what happened behind its doors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne day I got the courage to walk in. I went to the front desk and I asked, \u2018Hey, do you have any jobs for freshmen?\u2019\u201d Harrington recalled. \u201cI was pointed to Bob Rose, so I walked down and had a brief conversation with him where he hired me on the spot.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat moment\u2014walking in with curiosity and leaving with a job\u2014 shifted Harrington\u2019s career path from pursuing a bachelor\u2019s degree in computer engineering and working in electronic design automation (EDA) to a life in the laboratory advancing microelectronics research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen he began working for the MiRC in the early 2000s, the cleanroom facilities had only three full-time employees. The small staff gave Harrington opportunities to contribute. He started with smaller tasks, from changing pump oil to sorting nuts and bolts, but his dedication quickly led to greater responsibility.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the time, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/people\/gary-spinner\u0022\u003EGary Spinner\u003C\/a\u003E, director of cleanroom operations for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/a\u003E (IMS), played a key role in mentoring students and expanding access to the Institute\u2019s microelectronics facilities. Known for his hands-on approach and commitment to student development, Spinner helped guide the growth of cleanroom operations and the people who worked within them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGary took note of me and said, \u2018Brandon, please join the co-op program,\u2019\u201d Harrington said. \u201cI quickly found my way into the cleanrooms, and from that point on, I touched basically every system, whether it was the billing software, the access control system, or the toxic gas monitoring.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an undergraduate co-op, Harrington advanced through the MiRC, training graduate researchers on tools and developing new or modifying existing efficiency systems. By the time he earned his undergraduate degree, he had accumulated extensive experience in the cleanrooms and graduated with an offer to be a full-time electrical engineer for the MiRC while pursuing his master\u2019s degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn unexpected outcome of this role was a friendship that led him to a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. While working full-time, Harrington became good friends with then-Ph.D. student Reza Abdolvand. After Abdolvand joined Oklahoma State University as a faculty member, he asked Harrington if he would come help him start his research group.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was really good friends with Reza and I thought this was a way I could get his career going,\u201d Harrington said. \u201cSo I left Georgia Tech, around 2008, to pursue my PhD from Oklahoma State.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, Harrington supports the industry in a variety of ways, providing consultation for startups and large corporations alike. His work includes early feasibility studies, prototype development, productization, transfer to volume-production foundries, and yield improvement activities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is now the director of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) development at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amfitzgerald.com\/home\/\u0022\u003EAMFitzgerald\u003C\/a\u003E, where he leads a team delivering innovative solutions to clients\u2014all because he followed his curiosity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarrington\u2019s journey reflects the broader impact of Georgia Tech\u2019s cleanroom facilities\u2014spaces where curiosity can turn into hands-on experience, mentorship, and career-defining opportunities. By providing students access to advanced tools, real-world problem-solving, and a collaborative research environment, the cleanrooms continue to shape the next generation of engineers and innovators, just as they did for a curious freshman who decided to walk through an open door.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrandon Harrington\u2019s journey shows how early research opportunities at Georgia Tech can grow into a career shaping advanced engineering industries.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Brandon Harrington\u2019s journey shows how early research opportunities at Georgia Tech can grow into a career shaping advanced engineering industries."}],"uid":"35272","created_gmt":"2026-05-05 13:56:21","changed_gmt":"2026-05-05 14:01:34","author":"aneumeister3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680170":{"id":"680170","type":"image","title":"Brandon_harrington_feature.png","body":null,"created":"1777989388","gmt_created":"2026-05-05 13:56:28","changed":"1777989388","gmt_changed":"2026-05-05 13:56:28","alt":"A smiling man in a blazer stands indoors next to a wall-mounted plaque displaying \u201cThe Sigmon Carver Outstanding Co-Op Achievement Award\u201d and a list of recipients.","file":{"fid":"264412","name":"Brandon_harrington_feature.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/05\/Brandon_harrington_feature.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/05\/Brandon_harrington_feature.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2882156,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/05\/Brandon_harrington_feature.png?itok=xlrHlm7u"}}},"media_ids":["680170"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Gabriel Buggi | Communications Student Assistant\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Neumeister\u003C\/a\u003E | Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}