PhD in VLSI and Spintronics from IIT Roorkee and B.Tech/M.Tech in Electronics/VLSI

Find out more about Gaurav

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  My core subjects include physics, mathematics and electronics with communication. I have pursued my bachelors and masters degrees in electronics domain. The 21st century where we are living in this modern era prompts me personally to understand how researchers are using the growing technology in developing robots, supercomputers and AI machines with the aim to make our lives better. Electronics is a truly global and a wide field both in terms of technology and profession. Today, core electronics plays such an important role across a whole range of technologies and products. Electronics involves an amalgamation of both software and hardware techniques and tools and there are a wide range of opportunities including robotics, software design and validation, hardware implementation. I had a curiosity in electronics tools and gadgets from my childhood but the real interest developed after my high school when I explored and discussed the scopes, challenges and life of an electronic engineer or an electronic professional. It fascinated me to explore this world of electronics, I started with the software domain initially but now I have developed a balance between both hardware and software domains of electronics.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  I always had a desire to be an academic professional since my school days. I am fascinated by teaching and research work like our former President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. He has always inspired me since my childhood days. His simple living and high thinking philosophy always dragged me towards teaching. My school teachers and college professors motivated me to become an academician and pursue higher studies because there was always a motivation that "A great teacher was always a good student in his time". I always involved myself in teaching my classmates, juniors and helped them guide for not only internal exams but also for other competitive examinations. My family, friends and colleagues have always motivated me to progress and shape my career in academia now.

• How does your work help society?

  Education is the most basic tool that can help to shape our society, country and world as a whole by socialising our young people into key cultural values. It teaches the skills required by modern industrial society, from general skills such as literacy and numeracy, to the skills needed for particular occupations.
  
  Education allocates people into the most appropriate job for their talents, using examinations and qualifications.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  I would consider my graduate professor Dr. Geeta Mongia to be my role model. I had a great bond of understanding as a teacher-student relationship with her during all 4 years of my college and it remains the same till date. I am consistent in collaborating with her on various projects and publications since I passed out from college 4 years ago. She is the key motivation behind my higher studies and interest towards research. She herself is a great professor, a great human and a great researcher. She always motivates her students to try and explore new things, urges for discussions, organizing events and participating in various competitions.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  I am very fond of watching cricket, playing lawn tennis and badminton, travelling, socializing, reading novels apart from discussing.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  As an anecdote, I would share a small incident from my Master's degree program. I was selected for a project by Department of BioTechnology India from my institute CDAC Mohali and my supervisors suggested me to carry out my dissertation work in the same. I was reluctant initially as the field for not core VLSI (which was actually the domain of my degree) but my supervisor motivated me to go ahead. I worked for a year in that area, explored many new aspects, gained quite new skills and finally due to that project and related work I was directly selected for my PhD at IIT Roorkee in the very first attempt itself. So this incident will remain a lifelong motivation for me to always keep following your passion under supervision of your seniors, professors and keep exploring novelty and skills. There is a lot more to explore .....