Energy Harvesting. Analog Design
Four words that form the crux of my research passions. To be an integral part of the global solution to the energy crisis, and to join the search for cleaner, greener electricity was the ultimate goal I had set for myself early on in school. However, my academic interests undertook new dimensions in my undergraduate years as our engineering curriculum unfurled, when I was introduced to the world of Analog Electronics, VLSI design and Control Systems. Integrating control system nuances with an amplifier's intricacies possessed an underlying charm unbeknownst to me in any digital systems course. Then and there I decided this was my future. I wanted to be a part of this continuum, instead of just "sampling" it.
My desire to research innovative energy solutions was not lost though, as I participated and was placed 2nd in the 20th State-Level Debate Competition on Renewable Energy Resources. Besides this, I was one of the 30 finalists selected across the country for my essay on "Power Beams and their Applications in the Fields of Material Science, Medicine, Energy and Environmental Sectors", and subsequently bagged 2nd prize in the Paper Presentation Competition in the same area organized by the Department of Atomic Energy, India at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. I was also the recipient of the 2nd prize in the National Level Technical Article Contest organized by the IEEE Student Branch, DA-IICT, Gujarat for my short paper on RF Energy Harvesting. Opportunity knocked on our door again when we submitted a blueprint for a "Self-Sustained Sound Energy Harvester" for the TI MCU Design Contest, 2012, though we did not make it to the next round.
As an undergraduate, I found it challenging to find academicians who would mentor me in analog and mixed signal design projects, though, being an IEEE Student Member who took up the initiative to reinstate a dormant Student Branch in our College and served as its Secretary, I jumped at every opportunity to attend seminars and workshops that focused on research spotlights in the area. However, the experience of a few lectures was not intellectually satisfying enough, which is what motivated me to search for the graduate school where I could propel my research interests in low power analog and mixed signal design forward. It was during this search that I received my first ticket to a hands-on analog design experience, in the form of a 1-year internship at CONEXANT Systems, Pvt. Ltd., headquartered at New Port Beach, California. Here we tested, compared and optimized existing architectures to meet design specifications in all worst-case corners, tweaked and verified electro-static discharge circuits required to meet a specified Human-Body Model, and tried our hand at building our own low-drop out regulators, amplifiers and other building blocks in various configurations. My graduate studies dream, though, was still alive.
The Electronic Design and Applications TIG at GeorgiaTech seemed almost tailor-made for my interests. I found there to be a wide breadth offered in academic curriculum, ranging the gamut from oscillators and synthesizers to neuromorphic analog VLSI circuits. Not to mention the myriad publications and patents of the Georgia Tech Analog Consortium. The fascinating number of faculty members with research expertise in low-power CMOS design, RF Integrated Circuits and Energy Harvesting is unparalleled. It would be a pleasure to be able to work with Professor Gabriel Rincon-Mora whose extensive literature in the areas of low-power regulators, DC-to-DC and buck-to-boost converters I've enjoyed reading. I am very keen on being a part of the phenomenal research he has pioneered in self sustaining chips, power management integrated circuits and low voltage CMOS design, particularly since my interests are exactly the same. Equally intriguing would be the opportunity to work with Dr. Jennifer Hasler, whose exhaustive work in Mixed Signal Integrated Circuits and Analog VLSI Models of learning and sensory processing I find very inspiring. One of my final year electives was Artificial Neural Networks, and I've always yearned to see a learning network come alive on chip.
None of my academic pursuits would have truly been complete without my experiences as a member of the Rotaract Club of Hyderabad East, a student derivation of the Rotary Club, where we conducted donation drives and cultural activities for children of orphanages and AIDS homes. Being an avid poetry writer, I enjoyed working on the college newsletter's editorial board, in addition to serving as a student member of the alumni association. In my first year of service as IEEE Student Branch Secretary, we were nominated for the Vibrant IEEE Student Branch Award. Perhaps my most cherished experience was my involvement in the NGO initiative to distribute 100,000 cloth bags in the city, in an attempt to meet the Government's ultimatum on banning plastic bags.
Four words that form the crux of my research passions. To be an integral part of the global solution to the energy crisis, and to join the search for cleaner, greener electricity was the ultimate goal I had set for myself early on in school. However, my academic interests undertook new dimensions in my undergraduate years as our engineering curriculum unfurled, when I was introduced to the world of Analog Electronics, VLSI design and Control Systems. Integrating control system nuances with an amplifier's intricacies possessed an underlying charm unbeknownst to me in any digital systems course. Then and there I decided this was my future. I wanted to be a part of this continuum, instead of just "sampling" it.
My desire to research innovative energy solutions was not lost though, as I participated and was placed 2nd in the 20th State-Level Debate Competition on Renewable Energy Resources. Besides this, I was one of the 30 finalists selected across the country for my essay on "Power Beams and their Applications in the Fields of Material Science, Medicine, Energy and Environmental Sectors", and subsequently bagged 2nd prize in the Paper Presentation Competition in the same area organized by the Department of Atomic Energy, India at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. I was also the recipient of the 2nd prize in the National Level Technical Article Contest organized by the IEEE Student Branch, DA-IICT, Gujarat for my short paper on RF Energy Harvesting. Opportunity knocked on our door again when we submitted a blueprint for a "Self-Sustained Sound Energy Harvester" for the TI MCU Design Contest, 2012, though we did not make it to the next round.
As an undergraduate, I found it challenging to find academicians who would mentor me in analog and mixed signal design projects, though, being an IEEE Student Member who took up the initiative to reinstate a dormant Student Branch in our College and served as its Secretary, I jumped at every opportunity to attend seminars and workshops that focused on research spotlights in the area. However, the experience of a few lectures was not intellectually satisfying enough, which is what motivated me to search for the graduate school where I could propel my research interests in low power analog and mixed signal design forward. It was during this search that I received my first ticket to a hands-on analog design experience, in the form of a 1-year internship at CONEXANT Systems, Pvt. Ltd., headquartered at New Port Beach, California. Here we tested, compared and optimized existing architectures to meet design specifications in all worst-case corners, tweaked and verified electro-static discharge circuits required to meet a specified Human-Body Model, and tried our hand at building our own low-drop out regulators, amplifiers and other building blocks in various configurations. My graduate studies dream, though, was still alive.
The Electronic Design and Applications TIG at GeorgiaTech seemed almost tailor-made for my interests. I found there to be a wide breadth offered in academic curriculum, ranging the gamut from oscillators and synthesizers to neuromorphic analog VLSI circuits. Not to mention the myriad publications and patents of the Georgia Tech Analog Consortium. The fascinating number of faculty members with research expertise in low-power CMOS design, RF Integrated Circuits and Energy Harvesting is unparalleled. It would be a pleasure to be able to work with Professor Gabriel Rincon-Mora whose extensive literature in the areas of low-power regulators, DC-to-DC and buck-to-boost converters I've enjoyed reading. I am very keen on being a part of the phenomenal research he has pioneered in self sustaining chips, power management integrated circuits and low voltage CMOS design, particularly since my interests are exactly the same. Equally intriguing would be the opportunity to work with Dr. Jennifer Hasler, whose exhaustive work in Mixed Signal Integrated Circuits and Analog VLSI Models of learning and sensory processing I find very inspiring. One of my final year electives was Artificial Neural Networks, and I've always yearned to see a learning network come alive on chip.
None of my academic pursuits would have truly been complete without my experiences as a member of the Rotaract Club of Hyderabad East, a student derivation of the Rotary Club, where we conducted donation drives and cultural activities for children of orphanages and AIDS homes. Being an avid poetry writer, I enjoyed working on the college newsletter's editorial board, in addition to serving as a student member of the alumni association. In my first year of service as IEEE Student Branch Secretary, we were nominated for the Vibrant IEEE Student Branch Award. Perhaps my most cherished experience was my involvement in the NGO initiative to distribute 100,000 cloth bags in the city, in an attempt to meet the Government's ultimatum on banning plastic bags.
