Scholar Profile –
Daniel

What appeals to you about Electronics?

Initially I was on a General Engineering course set on becoming a Chemical Engineer, before being bitten by the electronics bug! I had already enjoyed doing some programming in my spare time and choosing a subject where I could see what goes on underneath the Silicon hood of these machines, and applying skills I had learnt outside academics was a great motivator. As I learnt more about electronics, I realised how huge of a subject it is, giving me a wide career path if my passions later developed in a different direction.

Why did you want a scholarship with Cirrus Logic?

Cirrus Logic has a strong record for industry leading IP development in the mixed-signal processing space. Having enjoyed both the signals processing and digital electronics courses at University, it was a great place to explore the industry side of my university courses. Being at a large company meant I would have the chance to interact with top professionals in the field, and have a large resource pool to enable me to operate at my best.

What type work have you been involved with during your placement?

Over my placement, I have investigated the use of Chisel in the digital design workflow. Chisel is a new HDL (Hardware Description Language) similar to Verilog or VHDL. The difference is that Chisel has all of the powerful features of a modern language, possibly enabling hardware designers to increase the speed and parameterization of their designs. An interesting example is a base module (like a base class), which different implementations can inherit. This work has been both challenging and fascinating, as it has made me think critically about such an integral part of the digital design world.

What are your interests outside of work?

In my spare time I enjoy rowing. Rowing was a hobby I picked up at university due to the massive culture there! The feeling of gliding across the water is brilliant and helps to take my mind off things.