Pranav Rawat: Outstanding Senior in Computer Engineering

Pranav Rawat had a moment of clarity when he took “Circuits I.” With circuitry, he finally found a way to create physical models of the systems he had toyed with in his head his whole life. 

The course unleashed a fervent desire to learn as much as possible about circuits, leading him to take as many classes on circuits as he possibly could. 

“Each problem felt like a puzzle, and each topic felt like an expansion on the foundations of previous topics,” he said. 

In proof of his skill and keen focus, Rawat engaged in self-study to test into several circuit classes above his academic year, including the graduate-level “RF Integrated Circuits for Wireless Communications.” 

Among Rawat’s favorite moments at UC Davis was in “Introduction to Digital and Analog Systems,” a course taught by Associate Professor of Teaching Hooman Rashtian. The final project in the course is to create a car that is controlled by sound waves.  

“The idea of modeling sound as a small electrical signal, which we can amplify into a digital signal, felt perfect to me,” Rawat said. “A way to model an observation in the real world.” 

For his success in his circuitry courses, he is immensely thankful to Rashtian, who supported his interest in self-study through textbook resources and academic guidance. It is largely because of his help that Rawat now wants to pursue a career in integrated circuits, or ICs. 

“IC design is incredibly challenging due to the lack of online resources and guidance, and his teaching gave me direction when I felt lost,” Rawat said. “His teaching style heavily focuses on deriving fundamental concepts, which helped me understand the purpose and function of different kinds of circuitry on a much deeper level.” 

Following graduation, Rawat will begin a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at UC Davis. He plans to focus his research on analog integrated circuit design.