This approach is still widely
used but it is not adequate to meet the challenges and opportunities afforded by the
development of nanotechnology that makes it possible to engineer materials and devices
on a length scale as small as several nanometers (atomic distances are ~ 0.2 nm). An
integrated approach is needed that embeds modern atomistic thinking directly into the
models used for non-equilibrium systems like nanoscale transistors, energy conversion
devices and bio-sensors. This requires not just quantum mechanics, but also an
appreciation of some of the most advanced concepts of non-equilibrium statistical
mechanics, together with the valuable insights obtained from recent developments in
mesoscopic physics. Our aim is to condense the central concepts into a one semester
course, assuming no prior background other than linear algebra.