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Akash L

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Stanford University

Expertise

circuits, electronics, nanotechnology, nanoscience, material science, computer networks, internet security, internet privacy, physics, quantum mechanics, computer architecture

Bio

Hello! :) My name is Akash, and I'm a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at Stanford, where I study upcoming nanotechnologies with a focus on memory devices (think: replacements for flash memory that are way more dense and way faster!). I did my undergrad in EE at Princeton, where I studied a broad range of topics, ranging from photonics to security&privacy on the Internet. In general, my interests are very broad; but what you should know about me is that I love doing technical research and mentoring, and I hope that I will be a part of the next revolution in computer hardware! Outside of my work, I have a passion for music. I love going to concerts, composing music, playing guitar+piano, and singing in the shower. I think it's a good counterpart to the nerdy side of me :)

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Emerging Memory Technologies: which one is best for MY application?

This project would involve using architectural simulations to figure out which emerging memory technology would be appropriate in different application settings. Right now, this is an open problem that many people are trying to solve. A student attempting to complete this project, could instrument NVSim (https://github.com/SEAL-UCSB/NVSim) to test different architectural configurations and applications. In the end, the student should be able to make a convincing argument about which one makes the most sense for a few different applications. This project will require a good deal of technical expertise, math background, and a reasonable understanding of how computers work. A good background would involve AP courses in Calculus (at least AB) and Computer Science A, or equivalent knowledge. AP Statistics is helpful as well, but not necessary. The student will need to do a lot of background reading on their own to understand the nuances of this subject domain.

Simulating a Memory Array to Understand Performance Characteristics

In this project, the student would simulate a memory array of their choosing, and try to make estimates on the performance based on circuit simulations. Additionally, the student could try to understand different options for improving these metrics by changing parameters such as the array size and device characteristics. This project requires a deep understanding of Physics E&M (AP Physics C + E&M is sufficient) and should be reserved for more advanced students who are comfortable with resistors/capacitors and calculating currents/voltages in circuits. Calculus is highly beneficial.

Measuring Privacy Leakage in HTTP Headers on the Internet

In this project, the student would perform measurements in top websites on the Internet to understand if the HTTP headers are leaking information to 3rd-party domains. This is currently a huge concern, and understanding the problem through measurement is critical to improving protocols and policies. The student should be comfortable with using computers and have basic programming skills (AP Computer Science A would be more than sufficient). The student should have a keen interest in understanding the Internet and will need to learn how to analyze large-scale data carefully.

Coding skills

Python, MATLAB, Java, C, C++, R, Ruby, C#, SPICE

Languages I know

Hindi, intermediate, German, intermediate

Teaching experience

I firstly have been mentoring students for college applications through the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences alumni program. I have mentored two students so far, read over their college essays, and provided feedback: they both ended up going to Ivy League schools (Cornell and UPenn) for their undergrad degree. I have also mentored one high school student through my lab at Stanford, in a project related to memory device design. The student was very motivated and our project ended up being published. Later, the student was accepted as a student at Stanford and we are planning to continue our work together :) I also did two 2-week sessions for Inspirit AI, an artificial intelligence crash course for high schoolers. This involved teaching students the basics of AI in a fast-paced environment and mentoring students in a project of their choosing. Finally, I am a teaching assistant (TA) at Stanford, where I help students on a weekly basis with homework problems related to semiconductor memory design. All of my teaching/mentoring experience so far has been really rewarding, and I hope to extend it at Polygence!

Credentials

Work experience

NVIDIA (2020 - 2020)
Circuit Design Intern
Amazon Lab126 (Kindle) (2018 - 2018)
Software Engineering Intern
Amazon Web Services (AWS) (2017 - 2017)
Software Engineering Intern
GoFundMe (2016 - 2016)
Data Science Intern

Education

Princeton University
BSE Bachelor of Science in Engineering
Computer Networks, Security and Privacy, Photonics
Stanford University
MS Master of Science
Emerging Nanotechnologies
Stanford University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Emerging Nanotechnologies

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