An amateur mountaineer, eco-conscious activist and wannabe artiste, IIITH assistant professor Dr. Anshu Sarje talks about her fascination with the secrets of Nature and how an esoteric range of hobbies influenced her research in biomedical engineering and building smart sensors for the semi-conductor domain.

For as far back as she can recall, Dr. Anshu Sarje’s world has revolved around science and technology. “I was fortunate to complete my under graduation in electrical engineering from IIT Roorkee, as a day scholar! My father was a professor of computer science at IIT Roorkee and my mother was the Institute’s medical officer. I grew up in an ecosystem where our natural discussions would revolve around topics like astronomy or perhaps how the human body works. Thus, when I joined John Hopkins University at Baltimore for Masters in Biomedical Engineering, I had found the sweet spot between engineering and biology”, says the professor who loves podcasts and old comedy serials.

The assistant Professor at IIITH’s CVEST went on to complete a second Masters and Ph.D in ECE from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA on a Google Anita Borg US Scholarship. She notched up seven years of industry experience at Intel (Ronler Acers, Oregon), Texas Instruments (Bangalore) and a startup, before looping back to her passion in research. Her study centres around VLSI, Electronic Noise, Biomedical Instrumentation and sensors, Analog CMOS Circuit design, Semiconductor & Device Fabrication, & Reliability.

Nurture and how campus life makes the difference
Anshu credits her exposure to different areas in mechanical engineering design, chemistry and physics combined with experiences like a visit to a substation and a variety of biomedical and telemedicine projects, to building a strong foundation in electronics and instrumentation. “I was pretty good with motors and generators and my Masters in John Hopkins nicely combined aspects of electrical and electronics”, says Anshu who joined Biomedical Engineering on a fellowship. “I was lucky to meet a professor who was working on cell engineering, who liked my concept and invited me into his team as an Research Associate. That was my first job” notes Anshu who was a TA training and development fellow for ECE for two terms and Vice President of Academic Affairs at ECE Graduate Student Association Department.

“Working at Intel’s chip manufacturing unit at Portland Hillsboro in sub nanometer technology was very exciting. It was possibly the cleanest place on earth, completely operated by robots”, reminisces Anshu who was the recipient of the Intel Heroes of Tomorrow Recognition for driving a task force on yield improvement. “Three years later, I moved to work in R&D at Texas Instruments, Bangalore. That is when I recognised that my core passion was in academic research. Industry doesn’t have that breadth and space to innovate and be creative, that academic research gives you”, she notes.

Anshu joined IIIT Hyderabad in November 2019 as a visiting professor and was converted to a full-time assistant professor in 2021.” I came here, loved the campus and decided that this would be my next adventure”, explains the professor who was appointed as faculty warden of the Parijath Girls Hostel in 2023.

“One of the things that I really like here is going for walks amongst the greenery and the tranquility on campus”, smiles Anshu. “I think the Institute has a very good ecosystem, and some of the senior professors are very helpful. Prof. Jayanti Sivaswamy has been a great motivating force and I have enjoyed collaborating with colleagues like Prof. Abhishek Srivastava, Prof. Santosh Nannuru., Prof. Kavita Vemuri, Prof. Tapan Sahu, etc.”

That which floats the sensor boat
The professor’s current specialisation is a combination of biomedicine and electronics for diagnostic devices and building different types of sensor devices for medical and environmental applications. At IIITH, Anshu teaches a range of courses in the principles of semiconductor devices, analog electronics and circuits, digital VLSI design, NeSS and electronic workshop. “I currently teach a course in digital systems and microcontrollers. I was sharing a network systems and signals course with another faculty last year.  I take value education courses when time permits”, she explains. While a part of her work is in scientific research into sensor design, she also works in the design of specific applications using circuits to build smart sensors.

Right now, in India’s semiconductor industry space, biomedical sensing is still in the nascent stage and exists mostly in the academic and start-up sphere. Anshu is Co-PI on a 5-member faculty team for PURSE, a DST-funded grant for setting up a laboratory on campus. “As part of knowledge exchange, our workshop in February 2024 featured eminent academia from IITs who presented their work”, observes Anshu who has a few running collaborations with professors in UMass General Hospital (affiliated to MIT) and another at the Florida International University. “Since I joined IIITH, we have had at least seven good conference publications and a couple of journal publications under review” notes the gregarious assistant professor who has been associated with IEEE since 2003, as a student, professional member and reviewer for Biosensors, ISCAS, VLSID etc. She was a judge for the Falling Walls Science Summit 2022 held at India. She presently serves as a board member at IIITH’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and has been involved in the diversity campaign since 2021.

Going behind the thinking mind
Thinking technically and logically and seeing how science works in the physical world comes naturally to Anshu. Whether it is building a chapel out of straw and mud for a cob house construction workshop in Portland or a permaculture workshop at Navadarshanam, Anshu brings immense enthusiasm to her passion in sustainability, renewable energy, forest conservation and child development. She credits her tenure at Texas Instruments to have fuelled her interest in community service, as a volunteer for their Back to School Program in remote villages, sapling plantation and clean-up drives, including one for 500+-year-old water channels and rainwater harvesting called pushkarnis.

“I love yoga, fine arts, traveling and in a former life, I played badminton and was a girl scout ranger”, sums up the professor who occasionally attends the yoga sessions on campus. “I try to meditate whenever possible. I struggle with maintaining a work-life balance but when there’s a holiday, I do try to make it about family and friends”.

At John Hopkins, Anshu participated in organising fundraising events for AID for India and worked with environmental action groups. She was part of the college JHUmoor dance group that performed choreographed dances for Indian festivals, Chinese New Year and cultural events on campus. “I enjoy art in music, painting or cooking”, professes the professor with a sweet tooth.

About her hobbies, Anshu has this to say. “I enjoy classical music and I took vocal training in younger days. I love reading and have a ton of books to catch up on. Once upon a time, National Geographic was my favourite read. Nowadays it’s mostly scientific books by authors like Bruce Lipton, Carl Sagan and Oliver Sacks who bring new perspectives. I read a little bit of everything and enjoy picking up quotable quotes that pushes me to improve”.

Seeking answers in Nature
“I like to plant trees wherever I can”, says Anshu who also dabbles in adventure activities like hiking and mountaineering. “During my Intel days, I finished my basic climbing education program (BCEPs) with Mazamas and able to attend evening lecture classes and go for practical sessions over the weekends”. Her adventures include expeditions to the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, Cascade Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. “I keep in touch with hikers and if I can afford the time off, I join them”.

“Being with Nature is what motivates me and that’s where I go when I need to decompress”. Anshu loves road trips and has driven far and wide, with family and friends to Shenandoah National Park, Niagara Falls, Finger Lakes and Bumpass Hell & Crater Lake National Park. “One of the best drives was from San Francisco to Portland, visiting the geologically active natural parks, its active bubbling mud (mud volcano), tracing the telltale trial of volcanic lava on the ring of fire and watching the blooming of the lupus flower as vegetation started growing back” she ponders. “It was a laboratory in itself, witnessing the emission of sulphur gas and the colourful streaks of mineral deposits. I think I got interested in geology just by living on the US West Coast and seeing the beautiful gorges and waterfalls and with glimpses of the earth crust formation”.

Anshu Sarje combines her father’s erudition, with a clinical mind inherited from her doctor-mother and infuses nature-inspired concepts to her work in semiconductor research. “In future, I hope to specialise in haptic based devices and focus more on the requirements of our country in the areas of health and diagnostics. I am very excited about the push for the semi-conductor industry. I hope we are given headroom to explore new research avenues and motivate students to join this domain, which will see more job opportunities, as the industry takes off”.