Shilong Zhang Awarded $10,000 SPIE Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship

Zhang to use scholarship funds to pursue M.S.-PhD in Electrical Engineering at KAIST in South Korea.

Feb. 4, 2026 at 5:31pm

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SPIE, the international society of optics and photonics, has announced that Shilong Zhang is the recipient of the 2026 Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship Award. Zhang will receive $10,000 to support his graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea.

Why it matters

The Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding SPIE student member who is studying advanced lithography or a related field. Cobb was a pioneering engineer whose work enabled key innovations in optical and process proximity correction for integrated circuit manufacturing. The scholarship aims to support and encourage the next generation of leaders in this critical field.

The details

Zhang has been an active SPIE student member, participating in technical discussions and mentor lunches at SPIE conferences. He has previously received other academic honors, including the Photronics Best Student Award and the ISE President Best Paper Award. At the upcoming 2026 SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning conference, Zhang will present his research on 'Etch proximity correction for curvilinear layout: Curve sampling with ML etch bias model'.

  • Shilong Zhang was announced as the 2026 recipient of the SPIE Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship on February 4, 2026.
  • Zhang will be honored during the 2026 SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning conference held from February 22-26 in San Jose, California.

The players

Shilong Zhang

A graduate student pursuing an M.S.-PhD in Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea, and the recipient of the 2026 SPIE Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship.

SPIE

The international society for optics and photonics, which awards the Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship to outstanding graduate students studying advanced lithography or related fields.

Siemens EDA

A division of Siemens and a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, which jointly funds the Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship with SPIE.

Nick Cobb

An SPIE Senior Member and Chief Engineer at Mentor Graphics (now Siemens EDA) whose groundbreaking contributions enabled optical and process proximity correction for IC manufacturing.

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What they’re saying

“Receiving the Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship not only alleviates some of my financial pressures, but more importantly, it serves as a profound encouragement and validation of my research direction.”

— Shilong Zhang (SPIE)

“The collaboration between Siemens EDA and SPIE brings together industry leadership and the global lithography research community to honor the legacy of Nick Cobb through a meaningful investment in future talent.”

— George Lippincott, Siemens EDA OPC Engineering Director and SPIE Member (SPIE)

What’s next

Zhang will be presented with the $10,000 scholarship award during the 2026 SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning conference in San Jose, California from February 22-26.

The takeaway

The SPIE Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship highlights the importance of supporting and nurturing the next generation of leaders in advanced lithography and semiconductor manufacturing, a critical field that enables continued technological progress.