The path from the chip laboratory to center stage did not remain limited to developing technology for Preethi Ashwath; it also turned into a visible role. Ashwath learned to take the stage. While most engineers prefer to work behind the scenes, Ashwath, who works as an analog integrated circuit designer in the consumer electronics division of Analog Devices, learned to be visible and became an IEEE member. She is one of the few women in this specialty, where women make up approximately 11 percent, according to the career platform Zippia.
Last year, Ashwath presented Analog’s new headphones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and explained that the devices monitor heart and lung health through vibrations in the ear canal. The company chose her. Once she showed that she could explain the technology to consumers in plain language, Analog assigned Ashwath as a representative at other events as well. She does not see speaking as separate from technical work. Ashwath, who says she considers it part of her contribution to the field, gives technical presentations on topics such as electrostatic discharge (ESD), participates in panel discussions, and works as an active volunteer with the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.
Ashwath, who grew up in Bengaluru, was introduced to electronics engineering through a private physics tutor in high school. Her older sister was also an influence. After completing her bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering at SJB Institute of Technology, she aimed for a career in VLSI. Then her direction changed. When she moved to the United States and began a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of California, Irvine, she took a different path in her career. During her Intel internship in Santa Clara, she learned reliability verification tools such as Ansys Totem, in addition to circuit design and package design. After her master’s degree, she started working at Intel as an analog design engineer, and after gaining experience in mixed-signal circuit design, she joined Analog.
Why it matters
Analog integrated circuit design is a narrow specialty in which women are represented at about 11 percent; this profile shows how a single career becomes visible from within that picture. The report demonstrates that in engineering, communication skills added to technical proficiency turn into a concrete criterion that determines who will represent companies. In this respect, the development concerns not only engineers working in laboratories but also students planning careers in technical fields and technology companies that select their onstage representatives. Ashwath’s volunteer work with IEEE and her participation in panels serve as an example that visibility can be regarded as part of professional contribution rather than an individual choice. The remaining question is to what extent such individual examples can influence the gender balance in the field.