Adjunct Faculty
International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems,
Western Sydney University, Australia

Biography

Dr. Chetan Singh Thakur (Senior Member, IEEE) received his Ph.D. in neuromorphic engineering from the MARCS Research Institute (Brain, Behaviour, and Development), Western Sydney University in 2016, under the guidance of Prof. André van Schaik. He completed his M.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2007 and later worked as a research fellow at Johns Hopkins University with Prof. Ralph Etienne-Cummings and Prof. Ernst Niebur for a year before joining IISc as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Thakur also has extensive industrial experience, having worked for six years at Texas Instruments, Singapore, as a Senior Integrated Circuit Design Engineer, designing IPs for mobile processors. Trained by world leaders in neuromorphic engineering, his research expertise includes neuromorphic computing, mixed-signal VLSI systems, computational neuroscience, probabilistic signal processing, and machine learning. His primary interest is in understanding the brain's signal processing and using that knowledge to develop novel intelligent systems.

Associated with the following research clusters at IISc

• Brain, Computation, and Data Research Group
• Initiative on Quantum Technologies
• Artificial Intelligence Group (AI@IISc)
• Microelectronics & VLSI Design

Awards and Recognition

• Young Investigator Award – Pratiksha Trust
• Early Career Research Award – Science and Engineering Research Board, India
• Inspire Faculty Award – Department of Science and Technology, India
• Abdul Kalam Innovation Award – Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE)

Editorial Roles

• Editorial Board Member – Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering (IOP Publishing)
• Associate Editor – Frontiers in Neuroscience (Neuromorphic Section)

Kalipatnapu Shantharam is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, where he specialized in the development of VLSI architectures for error correction decoders. His doctoral research addressed critical challenges in designing hardware-efficient decoding algorithms for next-generation communication systems. Apart from his expertise in VLSI architectures, Shantharam's research contributions extend to advanced signal processing systems and machine learning applications in hardware. He has published multiple papers in reputed journals and conferences and is passionate about bridging the gap between theoretical algorithms and their practical VLSI implementations. At the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc, he continues to focus on innovative hardware design for signal processing and machine learning, contributing significantly to the lab's vision of developing brain-inspired and energy-efficient electronic systems.

Banhimitra Kundu is currently pursuing his PhD at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), where he is working on neuromorphic computing and its hardware implementations. He holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) from the West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT). Prior to joining IISc, he gained a decade of extensive industry experience at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), where he was involved in the development of mission-critical systems for military aircraft, including mission computers and control computers. His work at HAL spanned across hardware design, analog sensor conditioning systems, single board computers using SoCs, and software development for RTOS and non-RTOS environments. Currently, Banhimitra's research is focused on the development of a handheld ultrasound device, exploring novel beamforming algorithms aimed at advancing portable ultrasound technology.

Ankita Nandi is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). She completed her B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya in 2018, earning both the President's Gold Medal and Institute Gold Medal for her academic excellence. She further pursued her M.Tech at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, where she was a part of the nanoDC lab, working on approximate computing for energy-efficient image processing circuits. Ankita's research interests are centered around low-power circuit design for neuromorphic systems, mixed-mode computing, and in-memory computing architectures. She is proficient in MATLAB, Verilog, and C programming, and continues to develop innovative design techniques for efficient neuromorphic hardware.

Madhuvanthi Srivatsav R is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. She completed her B.Tech (Hons.) and M.Tech in VLSI and Electronics Systems Design from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing (IIITDM) Kancheepuram. She was the recipient of the Institute Gold Medal for being the All-Rounder of her graduating batch. After her academic achievements, she gained practical industry experience at SiFive, Bangalore, working in physical design. Her research interests include low-power VLSI design, neuromorphic computing, and hardware implementation of machine learning algorithms. She is passionate about developing energy-efficient circuits that bridge the gap between software intelligence and hardware constraints.

Ketan Sanjay Chaudhari is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati in 2021. Proficient in Matlab, Verilog, VHDL, and Python, Ketan's research interests span across Digital VLSI design, Neural Networks, and the hardware implementation of brain-inspired algorithms. His research aims to develop highly optimized and efficient hardware systems capable of running complex neural network algorithms for edge computing applications.

Shankaranarayanan H is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat, and his M.Tech in VLSI and Embedded Systems from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune. During his undergraduate studies, he and his team were awarded the TEQIP-III grant for developing an Autonomous Agricultural Robot. For his M.Tech dissertation, he worked at the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Calicut, focusing on developing beamforming algorithms for Ultrasound Imaging Systems. His current research focuses on Digital VLSI design, signal processing, and implementing FPGA-based hardware accelerators for machine learning applications.

Pradeep Kumar Gautam is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore, and a Scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He holds a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from NIT Jaipur. With his extensive experience at DRDO, including his work at the Processor Design Center (ANURAG) and Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAIR), Pradeep specializes in processor architecture customization and multi-core network processor design. His current research is focused on developing hardware-accelerated machine learning architectures for embedded and edge computing systems, targeting faster and energy-efficient inference.

Satyapreet Singh Yadav is a PhD student in the Brain and Artificial Intelligence program at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. She completed her Master's from IISc and her B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut. Before joining IISc, she worked for eight years as a Scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), where she was involved in projects related to aerospace and space applications. Her research focuses on brain-inspired computing, machine learning, radar signal processing, and embedded system design for real-world edge intelligence solutions.

Muthiah S is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, and his M.Tech in Electronics Systems Design from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing (IIITDM). Muthiah was the recipient of the Institute Gold Medal for best postgraduate student and the Institute Silver Medal for highest CGPA at IIITDM. Before joining IISc, he worked at HP Inc. in the Analytics and Advanced Computing Lab. His research interests include low-power analog and mixed-signal VLSI design, neuromorphic computing, and the hardware implementation of machine learning algorithms for edge devices.

Bishal Paudel is a PhD student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his Master's in RF and Microwave specialization from the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering (E&ECE) at IIT Kharagpur in 2023. His technical expertise lies in analog/mixed-signal circuit design, high-frequency circuit design, and brain-machine interfaces. He is proficient in Cadence Virtuoso, MATLAB, and HFSS. His current research is focused on developing innovative neuromorphic sensing systems and integrating electronics with neuroscience to create next-generation bio-inspired hardware platforms.

Saptarshi Maiti is a PhD student in the Brain, Computation, and Data Science program at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his M.Tech in Microelectronics and VLSI Design from IISc in 2024 and his B.E. in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a Junior Research Fellow at the NeuRonICS Lab, contributing to the design of a Neural Decoder SoC for brain-computer interfaces. His research interests include neuromorphic engineering, brain-inspired computing, hardware-software co-design, and analog/mixed-signal IC design for low-power and high-performance edge devices.

Gitesh Kulkarni is a Masters Research Student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc, and a Senior Scientist at TCS Research. He completed his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University and his Bachelor of Engineering from Pune University. He is a passionate embedded systems designer and has several patents in edge computing and wearable devices. Gitesh led the design of the world's first industrial safety watch for the Tata Group and has worked on various innovative projects in embedded systems, computer architectures, and sensing technologies. He is an IEEE and ACM member and an active Ham radio operator, with a passion for making, tinkering, and philosophy.

Guha H is a Master's Research Student at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. He holds a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Ramaiah Institute of Technology. Before beginning his Master's, he worked at the NeuRonICS Lab as a Research Assistant for a year, where he was involved in digital design for hardware acceleration of neural networks. During his undergraduate studies, he developed a non-intrusive apiary management system for predicting beehive conditions using sensor data and machine learning techniques, resulting in publications at ICDSIS-2022 and ICARES-2022. Currently, Guha is working on the design and development of embedded Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (eFPGAs), with a focus on their integration into custom System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures. His research interests include digital VLSI design, FPGA architecture, and hardware acceleration.

Gurjot Singh is an M.Tech Research Student (2024-26) at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his B.E. (Hons) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from UIET – Panjab University, Chandigarh. He gained practical experience as an Analog Design Intern at SAC, ISRO, working on ultra-low-noise PLL design for NavIC integrated circuits. His research interests include neuromorphic and non-Von Neumann processor architectures and exploring alternative computing paradigms.

Asutosh Ratha is a Masters Research Student at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He completed his B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur in 2024. Previously, he interned at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as an EV-Powertrain intern, working on power converter design for HVDC systems. His research interests lie in analog and mixed-signal circuit design, where he focuses on building energy-efficient and innovative circuit solutions for neuromorphic applications.

Viraj J. Kotak is an M.Tech student in Artificial Intelligence at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Dharmsinh Desai University, Gujarat. Prior to joining IISc, he worked as a project intern at SAC, ISRO, Ahmedabad. Currently, he is working under the guidance of Prof. Chetan Singh Thakur on developing memory-efficient algorithms for training large-scale spiking neural networks. His research interests include Machine Learning, Neuromorphic Computing, Reinforcement Learning, and Natural Language Processing.

Souradeep Das is an M.Tech student in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He completed his B.E. with Honours in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jadavpur University in 2022. His research interests include RTL design, ASIC/FPGA implementation of digital systems, computer vision, and image processing. He is a KVPY fellow and a recipient of the NTSE scholarship, recognizing his academic excellence.

Abhishek Chaudhary is an M.Tech student in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (2023-25). He completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from NIT Jalandhar. Currently, he is working on the development of sub-blocks for a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Neural SoC. His research interests lie in Analog and RF circuit design.

Lakshya Sharma is an M.Tech student in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (2023-25). He completed his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Bundelkhand Institute of Engineering & Technology, Jhansi (2019-23). He is currently working under the guidance of Prof. Chetan Singh Thakur on the development of a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Neural SoC. His research interests include Analog and RF IC design. He is skilled in Verilog, C programming, and Analog/RF circuit design using Cadence tools.

Rahul Reji is in his final year as an M.Tech student specializing in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at IISc. He obtained his B.Tech degree from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal in 2021. Before joining IISc, he was employed as a Digital Design Engineer at Texas Instruments. Rahul is passionate about creating electronic systems that significantly improve everyday life.

Manish Kumar Singh is an M.Tech student in Electronics System Design at IISc. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University. With 15 years of experience at DRDO as a Scientist, he has contributed extensively to the aerospace sector, especially in systems for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). His research interests are centered on Embedded System design, Sensor Fusion, and the implementation of machine learning algorithms on FPGAs.

Narayanan Nampoothiry is pursuing an M.Tech in Electronic Systems Engineering at IISc. He completed his B.Tech from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut in 2016, and subsequently joined ISRO as a Scientist at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, focusing on Avionics Systems of ISRO Launch vehicles. As part of the ISRO-IISc collaboration program, he is now exploring research in VLSI, Hardware architectures, and Embedded Systems.

Guhan Rajasekar graduated with a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai in 2020. He has worked as an Embedded Software Engineer at Caterpillar India and HBT India. Guhan's technical interests lie in both Analog and Digital VLSI Circuit design.

Sriya R G is an M.Tech student in AI at IISc, holding a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. She started her career as a hardware design engineer at Aadyah Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. Currently, she is involved in research on energy-efficient transformers at the NeuRonICS lab, under the guidance of Dr. Chetan Singh Thakur and Dr. Chiranjib Bhattacharya.

Sai Krishna is an M.Tech student in Electronic Systems Engineering (2023-25) at IISc Bangalore. He completed his B.Tech in ECE from the National Institute of Technology Puducherry, Karaikal, in 2023. His research interests include exploring analog VLSI design and digital system design, and he is currently working on ReRAMs for ARYABHAT-1.

Arnab Mallick is currently pursuing an M.Tech in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at IISc Bangalore (2023-25). He completed his B.Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Kalyani Govt Engineering College, West Bengal (2011-15). After that, he worked in TCS for 7.5 years as a System Engineer & Technical Lead. He is currently focusing on the optimization of RISC V Code Generation for TinyML Applications under Prof. Chetan Singh Thakur. His interests include RTL Design, ASIC/FPGA implementation, computer vision, and Image Processing, with proficiency in Verilog, Xilinx Vivado, and Cadence tools for Analog & Digital circuit design.

Kunjan Raol is an M.Tech student in Microelectronics and VLSI Design at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (2023-2025). She completed her B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Government Engineering College (GTU), Gandhinagar (2019-2023). She is currently working under the guidance of Prof. Chetan Singh Thakur on the development of Optimization of ARM Code Generation for TinyML applications. Her technical interests include RTL design, ASIC/FPGA implementation of digital systems, and Neural Networks.

Adithya MD is a Senior Project Associate at the NeuRonICS Lab, IISc Bangalore. He focuses on developing embedded systems optimized for TinyML applications, enhancing machine learning capabilities in resource-constrained devices. Adithya co-founded IXE Tronics Private Limited, where he leads the development of embedded electronic solutions aimed at improving post-harvest crop management in processing industries. His expertise lies in hardware prototyping, firmware development, and microprocessor architecture, with proficiency in assembly and C/C++ programming. He has worked extensively with AVR, ARM, and PIC architectures, specializing in microcontroller systems, communication protocols, and user interface design.

Deependra Singh Sinsinwar is a Research Assistant at the NeuRonICS Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He earned his BS-MS integrated degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER-B), in 2024. During his MS thesis, he worked on developing an FPGA-based proof of concept for a neural network classification problem. His research interests focus on the design of analog and mixed-signal circuits for emerging computing systems. Currently, he is involved in designing circuits that support novel algorithms, contributing to the advancement of next-generation hardware technologies.