Bridging Academia and Industry: Insight from the 2025 MIT-Samsung Workshop

Leading researchers from Samsung Electronics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently came together to explore the future of technology and identify new directions in the semiconductor field. The 2025 MIT-Samsung Workshop served as a platform for academic pioneers and industry experts to jointly map out a future built on semiconductor breakthroughs.

The event featured discussions on deep-tech topics such as advanced analog IC design to nanophotonics, with an emphasis on connecting  foundational academic research to practical industrial needs.

“The key to long-term success lies in the natural transition of academic discoveries into products through industry partnerships,” stated Vladimir Bulovic, Director of MIT.nano, speaking on the principle of bridging the two worlds. He noted that the most critical elements for such success are “trust and mutual respect,” which allow for a dialogue to “understand each other’s true challenges and devise solutions together.”

This idea captured a key theme of the workshop: the importance of grounding cutting-edge research in real-world applications. “Without collaboration with industry, we risk conducting research that is detached from reality,” said Haeseung Lee, a professor of electrical engineering at MIT. “It’s crucial to address topics that are needed in the actual field to ensure our work has purpose.”

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, professor of physics at MIT, noted the value of this two-way street. “We are grateful that Samsung respects the value of basic physics research,” he commented. “It’s important that our partners inform us of the practical constraints and concerns within the industry that we in academia might not consider.”

The event also played a meaningful role in inspiring the next generation of innovators. Students in attendance gained invaluable exposure to the front lines of technological development.

“It was a great opportunity to hear about the research fields that leading scholars are focused on,” said Joo Young Kim, a student in the Department of Semiconductor Systems Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. “Learning about real-world research, not just academic theory, sparked a much greater interest in the semiconductor industry for me.”

Ultimately, the event’s clear goal was to translate this synergy into tangible technological advancements. Duk Hyun Choe from Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) expressed his optimism for the outcomes. “I was deeply impressed that MIT professors have a keen interest in practical research that can actually be implemented in an industrial setting,” he said. “I look forward to the day when completely new devices can be mass-produced as a result of these efforts.”