Diversity in STEM: Dr. Mondira Pant
The Dr. Mandy PantMy source of inspiration growing up was my Father. An engineer himself, he was the first person in the Indian Army’s Corp of Signals to do his PhD. He instilled in me a deep love for Math and Science from a very young age. He encouraged me to work hard at solving challenging problems on my own rather than seek the easy way out by getting help from someone else. (The internet did not exist when I was growing up). I naturally gravitated towards the computer Science and Engineering field as it tapped into my strengths. Having been blessed with a supporting environment, both at work and at home through my career, I have been able to continue in the field throughout. The fact that I’m part of creating technology that continues to touch the lives of humans plays a big role in motivating me every single day.
Dr. Mandy PantI seek to challenge myself every day. My biggest challenges however have always been at the start of a new job when the expectations are high and it is critical to deliver or establish yourself. With the help of a strong team, excellent managerial support, outstanding mentors, and a very stimulating environment, in hindsight, the challenges became easy to overcome.
I find that the gender imbalance in STEM starts right in High School. My most rewarding moments are whenever I’m able to successfully convince at least one more high-school girl to pursue a STEM career.
Dr. Mandy PantIEEE is absolutely an institution and I feel fortunate to currently be an active participant of the Computer Society’s TCVLSI as its Chair. The platform that it offers to reach out to the wide VLSI community via the newsletter and other media channels is especially rewarding as it promotes sustaining a very strong network between students, academics and industry.
Dr. Mandy PantI consider my current stint as TCVLSI Chair and Editor-in-Chief of the TCVLSI newsletter as hugely impactful. The newsletter features invited articles from well-known industry and academic experts, best papers from TCVLSI sponsored conferences and very importantly spotlights amazing Women in the “Women In VLSI” series. The newsletter gets sent out to over 30,000 recipients and I have received a lot of good feedback and appreciation from many folks reading the newsletter.
Dr. Mandy PantAdopt a growth mindset, seeking to learn every single day. Be ready to take on new challenges and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Talk less; Observe and listen more. There is a reason why we have two ears, two eyes but only one mouth.
Dr. Mandy PantGrowing up my father epitomized all that I have aspired to be. Intelligent, always wearing a smile, Baba (that’s how I addressed my Dad), had a never-say-die attitude. His motto remained “Failure is Not an Option”. By that he meant that success was not defined by the outcome, but by the effort one puts in. One fails if one has not put in one’s best. I try to live by the motto every single day. Further he always took time out of his busy schedule for me; didn’t realize how precious and impactful those moments can be for children until much later.
Dr. Mandy PantA book that I have read before and I read from time to time again is Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth- Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”. It reminds you of the “Power of Now” and how critical it is to live in the present every single day.
About Dr. Mandy Pant:
Mandy has recently taken up a role as TA-Chief of Staff, Lead Technologist for Intel’s Design Engineering Group as of April 2021. In her previous role, she served as Academic Research Director and Principal Engineer, working with leading academic researchers worldwide and senior technical leaders at Intel to seed and drive research efforts in areas of strategic importance to Intel in particular and the computing industry in general. She has served as Intel’s lead technologist in the area of power delivery and power management on Intel server microprocessors. She has published 20+ technical papers in prestigious VLSI conferences and journals, has 3 issued patents and 5 pending patents. She has been given the distinguished SRC (Semiconductor Research Corporation) Champion award for 2021.
Mandy received her Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering from I.I.T. Kharagpur, India, and a Masters and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, Atlanta. She joined Intel in 2001 as part of the Alpha team acquisition from Compaq Computer Corporation where she worked since graduating in 2000. In 2019, she served as the Technical Chair for DTTC, Intel’s biggest internal technical conference. She currently serves as the IEEE-Computer Society TCVLSI Chair and Editor-in-Chief for the TCVLSI newsletter. She is a proud Mom to two high school girls ages 19 and 16 and is an avid reader, traveler, dancer, hiker, and yoga enthusiast.
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