ALBANY — University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering officials announced Tuesday that the school has awarded the world’s first doctoral degree in nanoeconomics.

According to college officials, nanoeconomics is the “formulation, study and analysis of the economic and business principles underlying the development and deployment of nanoscale know-how, products and systems.”

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on nanoscale. For perspective, one human hair is roughly 80,000 nanometers thick.

The degree recipient, Erez Golan, came to the college from Ben-Gurion University in Israel, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics and material engineering, a master’s in material engineering and a master’s in business administration.

“The awarding of the world’s first degree with a concentration in nanoeconomics is testament to the UAlbany Nanocollege’s growing global recognition as a worldwide leader in educating students who are breaking new ground in the 21st-century fields of nanoscale research and discovery,” said Alain Kaloyeros, vice president and chief administrative officer of the college.

In his doctoral thesis, Golan analyzed current and future trends within the nanoelectronics ecosystem, contrasting the economic consequences of maintaining the historical approach to manufacturing with the integration and adoption of novel methods. According to college officials, Golan’s research demonstrated the use of new manufacturing strategies is critical to advancing the nanoelectronics industry’s technological and economic roadmap.