{"690382":{"#nid":"690382","#data":{"type":"news","title":"18 Years of Excellence: Dean Sutter\u2019s Staff Spotlight","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHome to the largest academic cleanroom in the Southeast, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/a\u003E (IMS) prides itself on its outstanding employees. From laboratory operations to education and outreach, these employees are central to IMS\u2019s continued success.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne employee in particular, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/people\/dean-c-sutter\u0022\u003EDean Sutter\u003C\/a\u003E, has supported the success of IMS for more than 18 years. As process equipment engineering manager, Sutter leads a team of engineers responsible for optimizing and maintaining equipment and manufacturing processes in the cleanroom.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn the following Q\u0026amp;A, Sutter discusses some of his favorite moments, challenges, and surprises during his time at IMS.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat is your favorite aspect of your job?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022Every day presents new challenges. It is never the same thing from day to day\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat has been your most rewarding challenge?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cGetting the PlasmaTherm Single Chamber running after multiple months of downtime.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat is your favorite project you are working on or have worked on?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022Modifying lab equipment to enable our users to get the results they are after.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ESince February, what equipment have you modified and how?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe haven\u0027t had to modify anything lately, but we started bringing some of our more than 30-year-old tooling up to modern equipment standards in terms of vacuum components and control systems. An example would be going from bearing turbo pumps to magnetically levitated pumps and Windows 95 to modern programmable logic controllers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat has been your favorite lab equipment to work with?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI do not have any favorites, but I do like seeing all the presentations from our users on the research being done in the cleanroom. I also enjoy attending Ph.D. defense presentations and seeing the completed work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat is something you never thought you would learn in this position?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cLearning the personal side of employee management. As an equipment engineer\u2013not a manager\u2013there is a pretty distinct separation between the personal and professional sides of people. In management, those lines are blurred, and you have to deal with both.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EYou have been with IMS for 18 years. What has kept you here all these years?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis organization has allowed me to substantially grow my professional career over the years. I started with Bob Rose and then transitioned to Gary Spinner\u0027s team. Both gentlemen have been great mentors!\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EDo you have any hobbies outside of work? Tell us about them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI am an auto mechanic outside of Tech. I have rebuilt engines, worked on automatic transmissions, and done electrical troubleshooting. I enjoy building cars from the late 1920s, similar to the Ramblin\u2019 Wreck, through the late 1960s. My current project is a 1949 Ford Truck. I also do construction, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and heavy equipment operation, such as running excavators. I\u2019m always up for learning a new skill.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn this Q\u0026amp;A, Dean Sutter reflects on more than 18 years at IMS, sharing insights on cleanroom innovation, technical challenges, and career growth at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In this Q\u0026A, Dean Sutter reflects on more than 18 years at IMS, sharing insights on cleanroom innovation, technical challenges, and career growth at Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"35272","created_gmt":"2026-05-19 19:47:46","changed_gmt":"2026-05-19 19:52:25","author":"aneumeister3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680315":{"id":"680315","type":"image","title":"Dean-Sutter-Website-Staff-Spotlight.png","body":null,"created":"1779220078","gmt_created":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","changed":"1779220078","gmt_changed":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","alt":"Dean Sutter smiles at the camera while wearing glasses, a light dress shirt, and a lavender tie in a Georgia Tech Institute for Matter and Systems staff spotlight graphic.","file":{"fid":"264562","name":"Dean-Sutter-Website-Staff-Spotlight.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/Dean-Sutter-Website-Staff-Spotlight.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/Dean-Sutter-Website-Staff-Spotlight.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1590606,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/19\/Dean-Sutter-Website-Staff-Spotlight.png?itok=Uq-ILEK2"}},"680316":{"id":"680316","type":"image","title":"IMG_6588.jpg","body":null,"created":"1779220078","gmt_created":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","changed":"1779220078","gmt_changed":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","alt":"Dean Sutter, wearing cleanroom protective gear and gloves, holds a semiconductor wafer up to the light inside a Georgia Tech research cleanroom.","file":{"fid":"264563","name":"IMG_6588.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6588.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6588.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":914133,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6588.jpg?itok=zlfegsYQ"}},"680317":{"id":"680317","type":"image","title":"IMG_6598.jpg","body":null,"created":"1779220078","gmt_created":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","changed":"1779220078","gmt_changed":"2026-05-19 19:47:58","alt":"Dean Sutter stands beside semiconductor fabrication equipment in a Georgia Tech cleanroom while wearing full cleanroom protective attire and a face mask.","file":{"fid":"264564","name":"IMG_6598.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6598.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6598.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1335633,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/19\/IMG_6598.jpg?itok=yZtkOmzx"}}},"media_ids":["680315","680316","680317"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"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\u003EWriter: Gabriel Buggi | Communications Student Assistant\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact:\u0026nbsp; \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":""}}}