Very Large Scale Integration

I, I guess it's kind of funny, 'cause in my industry, the semiconductor industry, we started out with, uh, LSI, which was, uh, integrated circuit, uh, logical integrated circuit.

And, and we went to VLSI, very large integrated circuit.

[laughs]

The L stood for large.

So we had SI, then we went to LSI, then we went to VLSI.

Uh, so you know, I get that.

I get that.

Okay.

Also the touchscreen, also VLSI logic for chips.

And I feel like I might be forgetting one.

My dad did none of those things.

SK, you know, I've never taken a neuroscience course ever in my life, even though all my jobs have been in neuroscience.

TT, how did you get into neuroscience without ever having taken a neuroscience course? SK, I did my PhD at the University of Utah in VLSI, very large scale integration, which is all about integrated circuits.

The lab I joined was part of a larger research group funded by the National Science Foundation to build a wireless implantable cochlear prosthesis.

Once that prototype was done, the group decided they wanted to build something for the brain.

And then it hit me first year into the program that I need something more practical.

So I pivoted to, at that time it was called VLSI, so I'm talking at the turn of 99, 2000, around that time.

And that got me into EDA.

So I ended up getting a master's in EECS.