Avanish Narumanchi (Georgia Tech) recently received a Top 3 Undergrad Presentation Award at TECHCON 2024. As one of eighteen CoCoSys undergraduates in GT’s Opportunity Research Scholars’ Program (ORS), an initiative designed to help undergraduate ECE majors apply their classroom knowledge in practical settings, Narumanchi has been guided by Md Nahid Haque Shazon, a PhD student in PI Azad Naeemi’s Nanoelectronics Research Lab. Together, they investigated ways to achieve faster and more energy-efficient memory devices. Shazon praised Narumanchi, stating, “It has been incredibly rewarding to work with Avanish, whose dedication, creativity, and hard work were rightfully recognized in this year’s TECHCON.”
1. Tell us a bit about your background. What led you to pursue your current field of study?
While I’ve been interested in the broader field of electrical engineering for most of my life, I developed an interest in semiconductors during my second year, where I took my first microelectronics class. The sheer scale and complexity of integrated systems amazed me, and I’ve spent a lot of time digging deeper into areas such as IC fabrication, computer architecture, and VLSI. This past summer, I interned in a semiconductor fab, where I learned about real-world chip manufacturing and the practical considerations that move beyond the established theory. In my studies, I hope to combine my interests in device theory and VLSI with my knowledge of semiconductor processing to create scalable and manufacturable nanoelectronic systems.
2. How does your research support the mission of CoCoSys?
My research area this past year has been centered on spintronic memory devices, which have enormous potential in relevant applications such as in-memory and neuromorphic computing. My team was particularly concerned with reducing switching time and energy while maintaining reliability in SOT-MRAM devices. Parameters such as switching time and energy are fundamental for scalable low-latency hardware systems and are essential for sustainable and efficient AI architectures.
3. What’s a recent accomplishment or project you are particularly proud of?
I recently had the opportunity to present my research at the IEEE ORS Undergraduate Symposium where my team won the best paper award. I also had the chance to present my work at the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s TECHCON conference where I placed 3rd for overall undergrad presentations. These events were great opportunities to meet researchers and industry experts from across the field of semiconductors, as well as showcase a year of hard work.
4. What have you learned from your experience as an Opportunity Research Scholar?
The ORS program at Georgia Tech was an amazing opportunity to dive into the research ecosystem as an undergrad. I was able to work with highly knowledgeable and deeply talented PhD student mentors on cutting-edge projects in the field. Through the ORS program, I have developed a much greater insight into the nanoelectronics research process, from ideation to modeling and simulation to delivery. The program has also helped me understand the importance of continuous improvement in the field, where ideas are constantly built upon and scaled to develop the next generation of technology.
5. What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
Next semester, I’m starting my master’s degree in ECE, and so my short-term goal is to continue building up my semiconductor industry knowledge and to continue my involvement in semiconductor-related research. I also want to successfully finish my first chip tape-out, which I’m currently working on through a GT special topics class. In the long term, I intend to pursue a career in the semiconductor industry to work to make hardware systems more efficient, sustainable, and scalable. I’m particularly interested in the translation of emerging devices and architectures into practical, manufacturable systems.
6. For fun: If you could have any technology-related superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could have a technology-related superpower, I’d want to be able to zoom in and see at the electron level. I think it would be really cool to see how our intuitions about electronics compare with reality.