From student to integrated circuit design engineer: “I design chips that support people’s health.”

Eye-opening, engaging, and fun.

It opened a whole new world for me. I had completed the Bachelor’s in Technical Computer Science at the University of Twente and had an affinity for software. The Master’s in Embedded Systems opened my eyes to what was possible beyond software, that is, hardware and everything in between. Gradually, I got interested in different subjects, so I took courses in digital signal processing, embedded AI, and cyber-physical systems. I love the flexibility the programme offers, you can focus on one or more areas based on your interests.

I design the digital part of biomedical sensing chips. These are used in devices that measure human body signals, such as heartbeat. The spectrum of companies for which we make the chips is broad: they might be developing brain-computer interfaces, wearable patches that track asthma, in-ear fitness trackers, sensors monitoring a baby’s health during pregnancy, and many others.

A chip consists of two main parts: an analogue part that picks up the signals and a digital part that takes over. One of my main responsibilities and that of the team I lead is ensuring that it converts the signals into bits and sends the results to a processor. My team also tests different blocks: there is a block that starts up the chip and others that process the signals, and we have to make sure everything stays reliable under any circumstances.

Recently, when my mother was hospitalised and needed an electrocardiogram, I pointed to the device and told her, “I design chips that are inside these kinds of electrocardiographs.” There is nothing more gratifying than designing chips for devices that help people.

After my Master’s, I started a PhD at the University of Twente. The project I worked on was designing more power-efficient radar chips for cars. Eventually, NXP, a Dutch semiconductor manufacturing company, considered a few of my designs, and one made it to manufacturing. I was nearing the end of my PhD when a friend told me about the job opening at Sencure. I was enthusiastic to work at a company developing chips for patient monitoring and health tracking, and my background and skills were a perfect match.

I learned to design efficient digital circuits, and this is what I do daily: designing a very fast but also tiny chip that uses little power. For example, one of the radar chip designs on which I worked during my PhD used 52% less power compared with a previous one while functioning in exactly the same way. Moreover, in my current job, I rely on what I learned in signal processing and maths, such as the Fourier transform, every single day.

I can design something and think it is perfect on paper, but once it is built, things behave differently. With software, if something breaks, I can fix the code and run it again, but with hardware, a mistake can cost us months and a lot of money. I am also learning more about the entire chip design process. I know how processors work and how software runs on those processors. But below that is the analogue part, and I want to understand that better. It is very technical, but it is also about people. I work together with analogue chip designers, and we must understand one another: knowing what someone is asking for and seeing a problem and a solution from their perspective.

I would like to make the best chip: one that helps doctors diagnose patients earlier and saves lives. That would be the greatest gift for me.

There is such an abundance of companies looking for embedded systems graduates that you are in the privileged position to choose where to work. Your knowledge is your power, so put it to good use: try to make the world a better place for everyone.