For many hardware and semiconductor engineers, the ideal workspace is safely tucked away from the public eye—surrounded by computer monitors, schematic layouts, and simulation tools. The primary focus remains deeply embedded in the microscopic architecture of silicon rather than the nuances of consumer marketing or public speaking. Yet, stepping out of the shadows and onto the industry’s grandest stages has become an unexpected yet rewarding chapter for Preethi Ashwath, an analog integrated circuit designer within the consumer electronics division at Analog Devices in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
Ashwath is a prominent figure in a highly specialized engineering niche where diversity has historically lagged. According to workforce demographic data from career platform Zippia, women make up only about 11 percent of professionals working as analog design engineers. Despite these challenging demographic margins, Ashwath has steadily forged a path defined by rigorous technical contributions, cross-functional leadership, and an expanding role as a public ambassador for cutting-edge consumer hardware.
Her journey into the spotlight began in earnest when she transitioned from behind-the-scenes design benches to meet directly with industry professionals, journalists, and everyday consumers at major technology exhibitions. By demonstrating advanced hardware innovations and explaining complex semiconductor principles in clear, accessible terms, she quickly proved that deep technical expertise and effective public communication can coexist seamlessly. Today, she views public speaking not as a distraction from core engineering, but as a vital extension of her contribution to the global engineering community.
Discovering Circuit Design and Building a Foundation
Ashwath’s path to the semiconductor industry began during her upbringing in Bengaluru, India. Her initial spark of interest in electronics engineering was ignited by a high school physics tutor who introduced her to the foundational concepts of the discipline. Around that same time, her older sister was already pursuing an engineering degree, providing a tangible example of what a professional technical career could look like.
“Between my interest in electronics and seeing her already on that path, it became clear to me that engineering was the way to go,” Ashwath recalls.
Following this realization, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering at the SJB Institute of Technology in Bengaluru. Armed with her undergraduate education, she initially intended to build a career centered around very-large-scale integration. However, her professional trajectory shifted significantly after she relocated to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of California, Irvine.
The true turning point in her career happened during an internship at Intel in Santa Clara, California. Immersed in a dynamic corporate research and development environment, she gained hands-on exposure to circuit design, package design, and reliability verification tools such as Ansys Totem. That comprehensive experience provided a panoramic view of the entire hardware development lifecycle, cementing her passion for physical design over other software- or system-level tracks.
“Seeing every layer of the chip development process gave me a more complete picture of what goes into building a semiconductor product,” she explains. “Through that experience, I realized I felt most connected to design. It was the hard work and creativity that drew me in. You start with a specification, build a circuit, simulate it, then wait for the chip to come back from fabrication. When your design works, it’s a real feeling of satisfaction. It teaches you patience and perseverance.”
Upon completing her master’s degree, Intel hired her as an analog design engineer. During her tenure there, she accumulated valuable experience in mixed-signal circuit design before eventually making the move to Analog Devices. In her current role, her daily work directly impacts consumer hearables, such as advanced wireless earbuds, as well as broader wearable devices like fitness trackers and health monitors.
A significant portion of her technical focus involves designing electrostatic discharge (ESD) pad rings. These are specialized protective circuits built around the absolute perimeter of a microchip to shield internal pathways from sudden electrical discharges. Without robust ESD protection, minor static events can permanently damage sensitive circuitry or introduce latent defects that cause catastrophic failures later in the product’s operational lifespan.
“On a chip with multiple voltage domains, you have to plan how the protection structures are placed and connected across the whole pad ring—and get it right,” Ashwath notes. “A mistake there could cause a chip to fail in the field in ways that are very hard to debug afterward. It’s detailed work that requires understanding both the device physics and how the whole chip fits together.”
Her responsibilities extend far beyond protection rings; she designs fundamental building blocks for integrated circuits, conducts meticulous verification checks to ensure components meet strict performance metrics, and collaborates closely with layout designers, digital logic teams, and ESD advisors. Because her mixed-signal blocks must interface seamlessly with digital systems, her routine is dynamic and collaborative. In recognition of her meticulous execution and leadership on complex multi-departmental projects, she received the company’s Impact Award in 2024 for exceptional work with significant cross-functional business impact.
Presenting the Final Product to the World
Ashwath’s evolution into a public-facing technical representative began when a senior leader at Analog Devices encouraged her to actively seek out high-visibility opportunities. While the vast majority of her professional hours remain dedicated to circuit simulation and design schematics, stepping out of the laboratory environment has given her a broader appreciation for the end products her hardware powers.
Her public demonstration debut took place at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where she stood before technology journalists, industry buyers, and everyday consumers to showcase cutting-edge earbuds developed by Analog Devices. Unlike standard audio hardware, these specialized earbuds are engineered to monitor micro-vibrations originating from a user’s heart and lungs directly through the ear canal. According to company specifications, these physiological signals possess the fidelity necessary to detect medical conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias, leaky heart valves, or fluid accumulation in the lungs.
“Hearables are evolving from playing back audio to becoming health-monitoring platforms,” Ashwath points out. “The ear turns out to be a good location for picking up physiological signals, so these devices can capture vital signs while someone is simply wearing them normally. The hard part is achieving high signal quality. The signals you’re trying to detect are very small and buried in the noise from the person’s movements and the surrounding environment. That’s where analog front-end design becomes critical. Extracting a meaningful signal from a noisy real-world environment is fundamentally an analog problem.”
Engaging directly with conference attendees offered a refreshing change of perspective for an engineer accustomed to reviewing metrics and simulation waveforms on a computer screen. Seeing the tangible reactions of users who experienced the technology firsthand provided a renewed sense of purpose, linking her abstract architectural choices to human well-being.
Following her appearance at CES, Ashwath expanded her presentation portfolio to include other prominent industry gatherings. At the National Association of Music Merchants show in Anaheim, California, she demonstrated the A2B Automotive Audio Bus, an innovative digital bus architecture that utilizes unshielded twisted-pair cables to simultaneously distribute multichannel audio, control data, synchronized clock signals, and power within microseconds. Additionally, at the internal Global Technology Conference held in Boston—an event drawing engineers from more than 50 global company sites—she led demonstrations highlighting technological solutions designed for augmented reality smart glasses.
“Each of these events has a different audience,” she observes. “Learning to explain my technical work to different people has become a skill I’ve acquired.”
Despite the growing demand for her communication skills, the core satisfaction of her profession remains rooted in the laboratory. The months spent refining a layout, running predictive simulations, and waiting through long fabrication cycles culminate in a uniquely gratifying moment when physical measurements confirm theoretical expectations. Knowing that these microchips ultimately find their way into everyday consumer products provides a lasting sense of professional accomplishment.
Giving Back to the Engineering Community
Beyond her internal responsibilities at Analog Devices, Ashwath maintains an active commitment to external professional societies, most notably through her engagement with the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. Like many engineers, her initial entry into IEEE membership was driven by the practical need to access peer-reviewed research publications via the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, helping her stay abreast of fast-moving industry trends.
However, after diving deeper into the organization, she quickly discovered the value of professional networking, educational lectures, and collaborative volunteer opportunities. She began actively contributing to the academic and industrial community by serving as a peer reviewer for major technical conferences, including the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems and the IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems.
“Someone has to assess whether submitted work is technically sound and worth presenting,” she notes regarding her editorial review responsibilities, “and that only happens if practicing engineers are willing to put in the time.”
For Ashwath, active participation in the broader engineering ecosystem provides an essential bridge between commercial product development and academic research. By evaluating papers and engaging with technical literature, she encounters novel theoretical approaches that challenge conventional product-design constraints, creating a bidirectional flow of knowledge that enriches her day-to-day work.
“Analog design is a field where you’re always learning,” Ashwath concludes. “Just when you feel you understand one architecture, there’s another one to learn. Being an active learner isn’t optional in this field; it’s the requirement, and being part of the IEEE community helps with that. Reviewing papers means reading what researchers are working on, which is often quite different from how the same problems get approached in a product environment. That connection between industry and academic work is valuable in both directions.”
