About P3
Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology and a researcher driven to solve urgent challenges in the here and now, heralded use-inspired research as a fundamentally different approach to the discovery and understanding of natural phenomena. Pasteur started with a practical need or problem and employed it as a guide to identifying critical fundamental questions.
This approach, in contrast to traditional curiosity-driven research, is precious to those who wish to see the impact of their doctoral dissertation in real life within a reasonable timeframe. It provides graduate training through active partnerships with companies familiar with potential applications and the needs of the ‘customer’ or society.
Named after Louis Pasteur, Lehigh’s P3 program provides four years of financial support for qualified prospective doctoral candidates. Students selected as P3 Fellows are actively involved in defining the scope of their dissertations; together with their academic and corporate-partner advisers, they forge a path that intersects their individual goals with the research objectives identified by one of the program’s external partners. Current partners include NASA, Brookhaven and Oakridge National Laboratories, Corning Inc., Michelin Inc., and GTI Energy.
There are many opportunities for mentorship and networking, including a pre-program summer internship and a one- or two-semester residency at the Fellow’s sponsoring organization.
Academic rigor remains, as always, firmly at the forefront of a Lehigh education. Students in the program will meet all the requirements of their academic department, and faculty advisers will work closely with students and corporate sponsors, to ensure that students are prepared to succeed in their doctoral candidacy and the workplace.
Furthermore, the program offers students an opportunity to gain vital additional skills and insight into topics such as intellectual property management, technical communication and team/project-based learning, and ethics and diversity in the modern workplace.
Principal Investigator: Professor Himanshu Jain
Diamond Distinguished Chair and Professor; Director, Institute for Functional Materials & Devices (I-FMD)
Materials Science & Engineering
Email: h.jain@lehigh.edu
Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Anand Jagota
Vice Provost for Research; Professor of Bioengineering and
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Robert W. Wieseman 1916 Professor
Email: anj6@lehigh.edu
Co- Principal Investigator: Professor Volkmar Dierolf
AGF Distinguished Professor of Physics and Materials Science & Engineering
Email: vod2@lehigh.edu
The benefits of Lehigh’s P3 model extend in all directions:
Prospective Ph.D. students have an unprecedented opportunity to see the impact of their work rapidly integrated into their chosen industry, working shoulder-to-shoulder with research leaders across our campus and initiatives.
Participants enter an on-site internship with a partner company to solve real-world research problems while learning about project management, communication, and leadership.
Ph.D. students have two advisors: one in industry and one in academia, providing diverse perspectives and insight.
Participating companies gain access to razor-sharp minds honed on the very challenges those firms seek to address
The academic community across the U.S. and beyond may discover a model for unlocking the world of advanced graduate studies to young minds that had never considered themselves “Ph.D. material.”
For more information, read our brochure about the P3 Program.
Professor Zilong Pan discusses key issues crucial to the
assessment of the Pasteur Partners Ph.D. program:
Assessment Faculty: Professor Zilong Pan
Assistant Professor, Instructional Technology Program
(within Teaching, Learning, and Technology Program),
College of Education, Lehigh University
Email: zip322@lehigh.edu