Preethi Ashwath, an integrated circuit designer in the consumer electronics division of Analog Devices, develops wearable devices and earbuds that track human heart and lung health through vibrations in the ear canal. Showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), these devices can detect conditions such as arrhythmia, a leaky heart valve, or fluid in the lungs. Working in a specialized field where only 11 percent of the workforce is female according to Zippia, Ashwath focuses on designing electrostatic discharge (ESD) pad rings to protect microchips from damage.
Having started her career as an analog design engineer at Intel, Ashwath now applies her mixed-signal circuit design expertise to modern consumer hearables. In addition to CES, she demonstrated Analog's A2B Automotive Audio Bus, which carries multichannel digital audio in fewer than 50 microseconds, at the National Association of Music Merchants show. She notes that interacting directly with consumers at these events gives her a deeper understanding of how her circuit work translates into final products.
Beyond her design responsibilities, Ashwath serves as an active volunteer with the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, helping bridge the gap between academia and industry. By peer-reviewing papers for conferences such as the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), she stays current with emerging architectures and maintains that continuous learning is an essential requirement for engineers in the fast-paced semiconductor field.