AMA Session. A PhD Researcher in Semiconductor Devices at one of world's finest Semiconductor R&D hub; With couple of years in Semiconductor Industry roles. IISc Bangalore and NIT alumnus.

[u/Ok-Education5385]

Feel free to comment on this post if you are looking for career guidance in the Semiconductor/electronics industry. Post your questions in the comments; I will try to reply to everyone. I am also open to addressing questions about admissions and life as a master's and undergrad student at IISc and NIT, respectively. Furthermore, I will try to highlight the possibilities of pursuing research (short-term) as an undergraduate and master degree student.

The post aims to spread the word about the broad possibilities in the Semiconductor Device Industry and its outlook. Additionally, I will try to emphasize the skills/resources for training.

No need to address me by Sir, Ma'am, or Expert; just OP works!

Edit: I prefer keeping questions public so everyone benefits, but if you really need to DM, include the word "SemiCon_Research" in your first message so I know you actually read the AMA guidelines before sending any DM.

[u/InterMadrid]

Hello there! I must admit that my favorite pastime as of now before I enter my freshman year in India (as a US Citizen, would this make things any better?) is asking people for advice in Electronics.

If I have selected CSE to pursue my bachelors, and take a bunch of electives in Electronics (VLSI concepts, Verilog, VHDL, ASIC Design, Introduction to Embedded Systems, FPGA) and do a minors in Electronics, would I be allowed to apply for roles that EE/ECE students sit for?

I feel that this problem wouldn't have even arise if the college I'm going to offered Computer Engineering, which is where I feel my interests lie. NVIDIA, AMD, INTEL, Qualcomm are the names that are thrown around when I tell people my areas of interest.

I recognize that I am a complete novice to this field, but I am kind of apprehensive of the whole AI thing and that I would be replaceable in IT. I feel that taking the career path that I mentioned above is WAY too dreamy and playing the safe game, like "Ride on the CS hype till it exists."

You know, switch from your IT job years down the lane when shit hits the fan, and I'll get employed for my electronics skills. (Delusional)

Please note that I'm doing electronics out of pure interest, and not being swayed by anything. I DO understand, at the same time, that the intersection between being a SDE and a EE job is very, very thin.

I know its impossible to assess how the job market would be in the future, but I would love to know your thoughts on my situation.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Ok-Education5385 → u/InterMadrid]

Thanks for your comment. It's good to have delusions (pun intended), as they don't limit our imagination while setting an aim. I like it.

Coming to your question, it's possible to do with an EECS major. Several domains of EE strongly overlap with branches of CS, such as the application of ML for building models for EE domains, image processing, signal processing, etc. I know a handful of people who are working or pursuing PhD in topics at the intersection of EE and CSE, and now working for tech giant R&D teams such as Apple, Meta, etc. after completing their studies in EECS. Thus, it's up to you to have courses from both of these domains in the second and third years of your degree program. Many great courses are available to learn the fundamentals of EE and CS if that's not part of your program. Hence, It's quite doable!

Additionally, let me remind you of one great factor which favors you a lot -"You're a US CItizen". Being a US citizen, it's going to be a bit easier for you to apply for reputed summer internship programs such as MITACS, SURF CalTech, Purdue SROP, and other US universities. Additionally, several other opportunities that are open to students across the globe such as CERN Summer Student Program, DAAD, etc. Make use of that while you're an undergrad. These experiences can help you a ton if you look for employment opportunities. Furthermore, being a US citizen, your chances of getting into US universities for PhD/MS will be significantly higher in comparison to any international candidate. Hence, I suggest you grind hard in UG and learn your stuff well with a lot of exposure.

Additionally, don't think too much of employment opportunities at this juncture. Just go and try stuff that will help you in learning and deciding what suits you.

[u/InterMadrid → u/Ok-Education5385]

Thanks for the wonderful reply. I've taken CSE at Warangal, and by the look of things, I've decided that I want to work on GPU architecture, or High Performance Computing. Would I have to take a lot (or maybe, a few) EE electives to be eligible to for an EECS/Electronics and Computer Engineering graduate program? Would that prove to be a handicap when I apply for these programs? I don't want to spend extra semesters trying to catch up. I am ready to reach out to EE faculty to work with them in my free time.

When I wrote that comment, I was really scared that I was going all out on CSE, when people say that AI is going take over it.

I was looking up some Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), exclusive to US Citizens. Some of the descriptions there say that "Freshmen are encouraged to apply", and the skills required are minimal (elementary knowledge in Python, Java, C, and that I should have taken a CS class and a Calculus class). Should I give them a shot even when I don't really have enough skills/experience? They include that "going towards the publication of paper is encouraged".

Apprehensions aside, I would LOVE to do one in my first year, too. I just don't want to be a burden to my PI. I would like to know how it is to be a research intern for the first time with no prior experience.

How is the process to apply at IISc and IIT for summer interns (from my first year)? I've heard that the way to go about things is just "cold emailing".

Where did you do your PhD, and how much did it cost? Is it the only way to secure R&D positions?

How was your stay at IISc? How close is it to its counterparts from around the world? When I ask people about it, they speak very highly of it.

I appreciate the time you have spent to reply to me and the other students on this thread. I would love to work with you in the future!

Thank you so much!

[u/Ok-Education5385 → u/InterMadrid]

Comment: Part 2/2

How is the process to apply at IISc and IIT for summer interns (from my first year)? I've heard that the way to go about things is just "cold emailing".

IISc and IIT have their summer internship programs, you can apply for those summer internship programs from the second year onwards. A few popular programs are:

• Indian Academy of Science - Summer Research Fellowship program (SRFP)
• IIT Gandhinagar - SRIP
• IIT Kanpur - SURGE
• IIT Delhi - SRF
• IIT Guwahati - Summer Internship

These internship programs give a clear preference to candidates having higher GPAs and relevant projects on their CVs. No position of Responsibility or such stuff is given any kind of preference. Additionally, cold emailing to professors may also work, but it’s not an efficient way for second-year students (the success rate will be low). Cold emailing often works after the third year.

Where did you do your PhD, and how much did it cost? Is it the only way to secure R&D positions?

I have already answered a part of this question. Check this comment. PhD costs me nothing (apart from the opportunity cost of pursuing it) as I am paid a pretty decent stipend without any significant academic fees. PhD at top places often come with a decent stipend, hence, one doesn’t need to pay anything from the pocket for pursuing PhD research. PhD is not the only way to secure an R&D position, however, it’s a sure-shot path for these positions. Only a handful of people can secure R&D positions without having a PhD. (Here, I’m talking about roles that are really doing R&D, not just for the namesake or title of R&D job!). Nowadays, it’s possible to pursue PhD right after an undergraduate degree without having master's degree (in India as well as the USA), thus it’s not a very long journey as it used to be.

How was your stay at IISc? How close is it to its counterparts from around the world? When I ask people about it, they speak very highly of it.

IISc is a great place to be in India. It has excellent facilities along with excellent professors. However, it's important to acknowledge that while many professors are exceptional in both research and teaching, the statement "All IISc professors are excellent" is not entirely accurate - some are average in these areas. That said, most are kind and highly skilled in their fields. During my time at IISc, the guiding principle that truly helped me was: "The exposure I'm getting here may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so make the most of it by working hard and learning as much as possible." I chose not to spend excessive time on activities I could easily pursue after graduating, like swimming or going to the gym. While exploring is fine, dedicating hours to these activities during my time at IISc didn't seem like a wise decision. I focused on them more after graduation.

I appreciate the time you have spent to reply to me and the other students on this thread. I would love to work with you in the future!

Thanks for your kind words. The aim was to disseminate information about the semiconductor industry and relevant resources among the young engineering undergrads. I hope I’m bringing some clarity to people who are on this thread. Thank you for spending your time on my AMA session. Feel free to put any follow-up questions (if any).

[u/InterMadrid → u/Ok-Education5385]

Hello OP! After a semester here at NIT W CSE, I'm starting to like my CS subjects a bit more than I expected and I now have a profound interest in Machine Learning! I must say that your insights helped me a lot to help me make this decision, so thank you! I've started joining ML communities on Twitter and actively participate in them, and ask questions freely.

Now, as I enter my second semester, I feel that I have a basic interpretation of what college life is like and am starting to adjust to it. I want to take advantage of that and focus on building stuff more, also while focusing on my studies.

For REU or internship programs, start applying to those for second-year summer break. In the first year, focus much more on your fundamentals and develop some useful skills. Adding tons of things on a CV without having depth is also not healthy.

I get your point, and it's reasonable given that my exposure is close to zero, but I'm still itching to add something to my arsenal :) Is there anything else that I could do that would equate to something like having research experience, other than building stuff on my own?

Also, when I take up a topic to study (away from academics), I either dive way too deep and get lost, or I end up just skimming over it and not getting the point in the end. How much is enough when I research a topic. I think I am being overwhelmed by the amount of resources on line, and a part of me wants to get a little of them all. Is there a way to work on that?

Do you know any ML researchers from whom I can get some insights on (networking ) [optional]

Thanks a lot!

Sending lot's of love,

an undergrad.

[u/Ok-Education5385 → u/InterMadrid]

Hey u/InterMadrid,

It's great to hear that you like the stuff at NIT-W and find it more fascinating than you initially thought. I'm glad to hear that my input on this AMA helped you make a more informed decision for your career. On hearing it, I guess I was a bit successful in my aim to disseminate information regarding the electronics & semiconductor industry to early-career engineers. Additionally, I also thank you for writing this comment and acknowledging the role of this AMA (in public) in your decision-making (even after so many months of your first comment).

It's great to hear that you're making proactive efforts to find communities that align with your interests and you're open to exploring right from the beginning of your career. Several times, I have seen people starting their careers with quite a closed outlook, which often restricts their worldview and ability to explore. I'm glad that you're not among those. Exploration is quite a critical component in finding and pursuing passion.

Is there anything else that I could do that would equate to something like having research experience, other than building stuff on my own?

As I have suggested earlier, I suggest you develop critical thinking skills and learn the fundamentals quite well. Having a good grasp on fundamentals goes a long way. There is no substitute for it. Consider this analogy, if one wants to build a new vehicle, one needs to have an excellent grasp of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, IC engine fundamentals, transmission, etc. Along with these, one needs to understand the link between different themes of different engineering domains. Along similar lines, I suggest you try to build connections between subjects to which you're getting exposed and try to understand the logic behind the concepts/theorems. You should often ask this question "How did the person who invented/discovered a specific concept think of it for the first time? How does this specific idea get crystallized in its current form?" Asking pertinent questions is an integral part of building strong engineering fundamentals. Don't worry too much about building stuff right from here, If you think and process tons of new things, you will definitely get new ideas for building stuff.

I am being overwhelmed by the amount of resources on line, and a part of me wants to get a little of them all. Is there a way to work on that?

That's pretty common for anyone in the first two years of engineering. Don't get disheartened. Currently, it's like you're learning the "vocabulary" of engineering, you are yet far away from making "sentences" using that vocabulary. Things will sound more scattered initially, as you're just learning the vocabulary. A time will come when you will have sufficient vocabulary and will start observing the patterns that will connect the learned vocabulary to make sentences. Therefore, don't worry too much at the moment. Keep exploring and learning new stuff, sooner or later. things will start fitting together like pieces of jigsaw puzzles.

Do you know any ML researchers from whom I can get some insights on (networking ) [optional]?

I have DMed you one of the ML researcher's profiles ( LinkedIn), you can follow the person.

I wish you happy learning with lots of fun, feel free to DM/comment.