Mikkel A. Thomas has worked for the Institute for Matter and Systems since 2008. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1997, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Optoelectronics in 2008, all from the Georgia institute of Technology. Prior to his employment at Georgia Tech, Thomas worked at OptiComp Corporation located in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. His research at the company revolved around the development of VCSEL based, integrated optical communication systems for use in satellites and other aerospace applications. Since arriving at Georgia Tech, in the IMS, Thomas has provided cleanroom processing support to the academic faculty and their graduate students. He also provided processing support and fabrication services for entities not directly affiliated with the institute. Additionally, he was the lab instructor for ChBE 4050. In 2022, Thomas was named the Associate Director for Education and Outreach in IMS. In this role, Thomas is responsible for all the outreach efforts of the IRI covering K-Grey. He also organizes all the education coordinators in the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) as part of his role in the NNCI coordinating office located at Georgia Tech.

David Gottfried received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry (highest distinction, highest honors) in 1984 from the University of Michigan and continued his studies in physical chemistry at Stanford University under a National Science Foundation graduate fellowship, obtaining his Ph.D. in 1991. He then was a European Molecular Biology Organization post-doctoral fellow at the Weizmann Institute of Science/Bar-Ilan University before beginning research and teaching in biophysics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 1999 he moved to the Georgia Tech Research Institute where he designed and tested optical sensors for chemical and biological agents with food safety, environmental, and homeland security applications. Gottfried joined the Microelectronics Research Center in 2007, where he was a technical liaison and biomedical domain expert for the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network. Beginning in 2012 he served as a member of the Advanced Technology Team in the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) and then was appointed Senior Assistant Director for IEN Nanotechnology Technical Programs in 2016. He is currently the IMS Associate Director of External User Programs, Director for the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC), a member site of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), and Director for the NNCI Coordinating Office. Gottfried was selected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2012 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018. In 2021 he was named a Regents' Researcher by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.