The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science

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Alumna Wins Intel Achievement Award

Mamatha Modaliyar Dandapani

Mamatha Modaliyar Dandapani MS’16, a post-silicon validation engineer at Intel Corp., was recently awarded the Intel Achievement Award, one of the highest honors possible for its employees. As a post-silicon validation engineer, she designs and develops validation methodologies for the Intel manufacturing flow, especially for Intel client and System on Chip (SOC) products.

Intel, a multinational corporation based in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s second largest semiconductor chip manufacturer and also invented the microprocessors found in most personal computers. According to its 2018 annual report, the company employs more than 107,000 individuals, 85% of whom work in technical roles. The annual achievement award is given to the top 1% of employees each year, or only 1 in 10,000 employees.

“It was a proud moment,” Dandapani said. “Our work was recognized by all of Intel. It was definitely a memorable event in my life and career.”

Award recipients attended Legends and Luminaries, an exclusive, Oscars-style event on May 17 and 18, 2019, where they were honored for significant inventions and technological breakthroughs. Her team was honored specifically for developing an AI-based unit testing methodology.

“The first project I did was this one,” Dandapani said. “During the implementation process, I was up until 2:00 a.m. for several weeks. It was a lot of work, but it paid off. We were so passionate to make it work. We began reaping the benefits after 2017, so it was actually put to good use.”

Dandapani earned her master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas. She has been employed at Intel since 2016 following a graduate student internship. She credits faculty members including Dr. Dinesh Bhatia, associate department head for graduate studies and professor of electrical and computer engineering, Dr. Mehrdad Nourani, associate provost and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Carl Sechen, professor of electrical and computer engineering, as well as supportive family including her father, sister and husband for helping her launch her career.

“I am a first-generation engineer – the only one from my family,” Dandapani said. “My experience at UT Dallas gave me the groundwork. Studying and gaining an understanding of VLSI design and testing gave me the confidence to apply to Intel. I always encourage students to try all options – don’t just set your mind on one thing. You never know what you like unless you try it. Thanks to UT Dallas, I’m in a great career.”