From Theory to Application (Integrated Circuit Design): Arunita Mukhopadhyay

Completing a compulsory internship and Master Thesis is one of the components of a TUM Asia Master of Science programme. Students are able to apply what they learnt into the industry, while making new connections in the workforce. We hear from Arunita Mukhopadhyay from the Master of Science in Integrated Circuit Design programme to hear about her unique experience interning at Infineon Technologies, Germany. 

Q: Hello Arunita, can you tell us more about yourself?

Arunita: I am from India. I completed my Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Mumbai in Instrumentation and worked for three years as an Instrumentation Engineer in the Oil & Gas field.

Q: Home is a distance away from Singapore. Making the decision to study miles away from home, was it a difficult decision?

Arunita: I wanted to change fields from Process Automation to Integrated Circuit Design and studying at TUM Asia allowed me to do that. I am able to get the best of both worlds with perspectives from Asia and Europe.

Q: What is one special memory from your studies at TUM Asia?

Arunita:  On the last day of every course, especially the ones taught by our German professors would involve everyone going out for a ‘Stammtisch’, which meant going out for an informal gathering with  food. This was when we realized that most of them enjoys Indian cuisine, which was very exciting to us.

Q: Tell us more about your internship experience.

Arunita: Making a choice about the internship location was not difficult as I always had an inclination towards working in Europe. I applied for opportunities in Singapore and Germany via job portals and LinkedIn and ended up doing my internship and Master’s Thesis at Infineon Technologies, Germany.

Q: Any advice for your juniors when searching for an internship?

Oscar: I believe that one would learn better by getting hands-on experience working on it rather than reading about it. I would recommend interning in a company that works on an area that you are passionate in and study hard to be prepared with the theoretical knowledge. At the end of the day, we will have to be familiar with how the industry works and we must treasure the experience that we can gain through our professor’s experience, our lessons, and our internship.

Q: Can you tell us more about your day-to-day responsibilities at your internship?

Arunita: My internship and thesis are on the same topic. The internship was basically a preparation for the thesis, which includes becoming familiar with tools that I would require and understanding different concepts that would be needed for the thesis. I also had to refer to different research papers for additional knowledge. What I enjoyed about interning at Infineon was the detailed and well-planned structure of the organization, which made my role more exciting.

Q: What is something that you think that your internship has given you?

Arunita: I believe we learn better through hands-on work rather than just reading about it. At the end of the day, we have to be familiar with how the industry works and that experience can be gained by actually working in one. The internship and thesis allows us to apply what we learnt and prepare us for working in the industry. This is a very important experience for all of us.

Q: Now that you have come to the end of your Masters, what’s next for you?

Arunita: I plan to work in the industry and gain some experience. However, life can take a different turn and I might actually end up doing a PhD some time in the distant future.

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Arunita is from the TUM Master of Science in Integrated Circuit Design programme. More information about the programme here >>

This interview was published in the DIGEST Sept – Dec 2017 issue >>