Good day, P. Maran. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

To begin with, thank you first of all for the opportunity given to me to present my.

Uh intro myself, Dr. B Martin. Currently I'm working as an assistant professor in Amarta School of Engineering.

Past From 2018 to 21, I worked as an Assistant professor in Amartya School of Engineering, Bangalore for three years and before that I worked as an RMK Engineering College of Engineering and Technology for one year. 17 to 89 worked over there. This is my teaching experience so far and.

Chennai from 2021 I've been working here.

Regarding to my education UH background, I did my UH PhD from 2000.

14 to 18 Actually, I submitted my thesis on 17, defended my thesis on April 18.

2018 OK, uh, then in, in SSN College of Engineering uh, which is affiliated Orna University previously now it has been deemed university. Now before that I worked as I mean, I uh, I mean, this is my PhD work before that I did my M tech in VLSI designed in SSN College of engineering in the batch of 2011 to 13. And regarding to my B.Tech, I did my B ECE in uh, Saint Peters Engineering College already all these.

These are from Anna University, Chennai. The affiliated I mean first is Saint Peters in BSSN in B in ME VLSI design and PhD also SSN only affiliated to university. So this is my.

College experience and regard. I mean where I studied my graduates and undergraduate and postgraduates. And regarding to my schooling, I did my school in.

Uh, I'm a yes.

Shalimar.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes, yes. Thank you. What should I do now?

OK.

Please elaborate on how you structure your lectures to ensure clarity and engagement for your students.

OK, uh.

OK. For first, shall I continue or do you have any other questions?

OK, fine. Thank you. First I will I would like to know the subject. I will take an example of what subject I took and how do I take that subject in the class. That will help me to elaborate how I do and plan my lectures during my.

Plan of courses so for example, I'm taking a VLS it is in course last semester I took that and regarding to that there we studied about North Mass P mass DC characterizations I have to plot the ID versus VGS curve ID versus VDS plot If I go blindly by theory, they are getting bored because all the contents are already available in the textbook. What I can do I can actually Moreover, we in our college, we have smart board that that is A1 tool we are also using it but apart from that I'm trying to use a very. Simple Lt. spice based assimilation softwares in the class itself. After discussing the theory or discussing about what will happen if the size of the transistor, I mean W will ratio changes, how does it affect the ID versus key which is curve and those things. I try to take a NMOS F4 terminal NMOS transistors from the Lt. Spice. I do the simulation, I change the parameters of the north transistors, I tuned the voltages or VGS or VDS and try to show them how does it actually affect the ID versus VGS curve. With that complete one they're able.

Please continue and elaborate on how you ensure your lectures are clear and engaging for your students.

To understand clearly how does the NMOS and PMOS division characteristics, how that graphs are being generated and moreover not only with that. For example, if I go on to Vt seeker voltage transfer curve of an inverter, I do the again using Lt. spice. I do the draw the circuit first. It shows that how does the If I give logical one how it is converting into 00, how it is converting into one, I would draw the VTC curve. If I change the width of the PMOS, how does the curve shift to left side or right side or north mass?

Does the code shift Uh? What is the impact of WBL ratios, Uh threshold, voltage, all these things, we can analyze it in the Lt. space. So they will have a complete picture for UH-1 complete unit. How? How do you decide the midpoint voltage? For example, Vt is equivalent to VDD minus beta n sqrt V beta north by beta Phi divided by 1 plus square root of beta north by beta P All these equations, they are not memorizing it. If they understood how these things are coming in the picture, they will try to understand in a better way. Moreover, they are. I'm not only just a theoretical part, they're doing simulation part and moreover they can check the graphs everything over there. And if they want to create indicate target. These are part of lab experiments that also I integrated along with that so that they will have a complete picture. They can. I have asked them to design half headers, full header. Then I started moving on to encodes decoders.

Like that I started creating the digital blocks using transistor level that also they have done so they have a complete picture not only just a studying theoretical portion. I have started integrating theory plus lab plus simulation based tool. And when it comes to digital VLSI design I mean digital portion I thought I am teaching them verilog course verilog programming in that also I started in the class itself I use the tool and I show them if I if there is a syntax error in the verilog program.

This is how it is happening. How does uh, that RTL is getting converted? Then finally, how do I simulate by providing uh, uh, I mean inputs to those module, whatever I create like that I that is also complete picture. We are I, I asked them to do the capstone project for the lab also. So it is a complete package. In my opinion. This is how, for example, I took VLSI as one of the course and that is how I took my subjects.

Yes.

Uh, again, I will, I will take the way how, how I take my, uh, question paper. For example, we in our course, we are dealing with the DC characterization of a transistors followed by what are the parasitic capacitors available in the transistors. And if I uh, for example, NMOS and PMOS, for example, I will give a Boolean expression basically based upon the Boolean expression, for example, F is equivalent to A+ BC the whole bar. I will ask them first to draw the circuit diagram, CMOS static CMOS circuit diagram based upon the.

Given the integration of theory, simulation, and practical applications you highlighted—particularly in courses like VLSI—how do you evaluate your students to ensure they grasp both the theoretical and practical aspects equally? Could you provide an example?

CMOS circuit diagram find the C fit or the junction output junction. What is the parasitic capacitance and is there any series notes are there? I will ask them to calculate what are the parasitic capacitance. But to calculate the parasitic capacitance also they should draw they should know the dimension of the transistors based upon the dimension of the transistor so that they can calculate CS, CED of NMOS and PMOS. And then after calculating this veracity capacitance I will ask them to calculate rise time, fault time. After calculating it, they will come to know, uh, what is the maximum operating frequency of that I will ask them to draw the layout. This is the one equation I will take Boolean expression. I will take and from that boolean expression from scratch, they will start drawing from static CMOS circuit diagrams, para calculation of parasitic capacitances, parasitic resistances. They will calculate the rise time, fault time operating frequency, a complete package they will. Have in one see boolean expression is 1 but I'm trying to cover all the units. So that all the Cos are also being covered. So not only just regular question, what is this, What is that? I will not ask questions like that. So they will if they listen to my lectures, then only they can answer to those questions. Moreover, I will try to change the questions. For example, not only static CMOS circuit design, I asked them to draw what is a pseudo MMOS logic, what is a mirror logic for this circuit, whether it is possible to draw mirror logic or not, C square mass logic, advanced CMOS technology. I will include this type of questions also some of the questions. So for example.

One boolean expression I will frame 8 subdivisions based. If they answer those 8 subdivisions, they will have a complete. The complete syllabus is also covered as per our curriculum. I am covering all the Cos so it's not about asking a a define or not. Not like regular question paper. Every time I take such a way the dentist syllabus is covered at the same time.

By that method, not only just reading textbooks or any PDF downloading from Internet, that is not possible in my lectures. Only if they listen to my classes lectures alone they can answer to me. That's how I plan my lectures, question papers and I try to evaluate my students.

If they listen to the class and they are updating regularly then only they can they can answer to these questions. So I am trying to evaluate.

Thank.

OK, so to begin with that I will I would like to talk regarding to my PhD work. So my PhD work is related to suppression of harmonics in my receivers or sorry in RF receivers. So the possibility of harmonics in rural receivers, let us consider down conversion mixes, okay, what are the inputs are available one is from local oscillator, other one is from RF input from LNA other one is filters at the output of the mixers. These are these are the places where the I can suppress the harmonics, OK.

Let us now move to your research expertise. Could you elaborate on the contributions of your PhD work? Specifically, what was the focus of your research, and what were the key outcomes?

So to provide a low class letter, what are the possibilities I have? I have to use ring oscillators or some other oscillators. So I try to minimize I I'm trying to justify which is the best ring oscillator. I can use it that way in a radiation hardened by descent. That is my first work. And then I think the first first first I mean to be more precise face displacement study on ring nozzle. Which oscillator is best suitable so that they have lamp lowest face displacement. That is my first question, 1st paper then. Regarding to filters, we designed a microstrip filters.

Regular interdigitated harpin based filter like this. The filters was there and that I I, I. When I do the fabrication I notice that there are many harmonics are there. My objective is to reduce the harmonics but the ETS is having harmonics. So how to reduce that? At the ground plate of this interdigitated filter I try to insert a complementary splittering resonator. CSRRS. I introduce at the background nearly six CSRS I have introduced that is drastically reduced by. I tried to test it with the one CSR 2, CSR 3.

We have found to.

I mean, after uh completing my Viva and uh work from RMK College of engineering, then I moved on to Bangalore there I got a student uh full time scholar. I got it. She completely did an LND design for 60 gigahertz 1 paper on GM posting technique other other work on derivative superposition technique. Other one is a variable LNA technique. All these things are designed using silicon germanium gallium arsenide technology, and we have used instead of using RC, we try to create using.

Using that architecture itself, we are trying to reduce the harmonics. That is the third work we have done. So this is regarding to my PhD work. Then I moved on to Bangalore for a job.

Transmission lines, how these transmission lines are modeled to work like a capacitors work like an inductor and we have used metal 6 layers for so that we will have minimum resistance the noise because we are dissing low noise amplifier. So by selecting the metal layer 6 of this circuit, I mean layout diagrams we try to minimize the noise level of the circuit also goes down. We have already but all these things are simulation based work we did in AWR. OK. And this is our.

That work what we have completed over there, so three papers she has published GM boosting derivative superposition technique and followed by.

I but I cannot there is a drawback in this system. So what I did is that I tried to move on to implementation of encryption algorithms in FPGA. But I'm very new to the encryption algorithm. I mean encryption algorithm or implementation feature design. What I have done in bit M tech, some of the experiments I have done but I have not done any project particularly. So now first I should experience myself in encryption algorithm. So I started exploring on what are the different methods of doing encryption algorithm, image encryption algorithms. Then I have explored very good enough and.

Variable learning so that is the third work. So totally these are the papers I have regarding to RF circuit design and one paper I completely did on design of mixers once again using cascaded RF and local oscillator. That is one other work I have then after coming back to Chennai, I don't have any softwares for me to support here for doing reset ads or AW is not available for me here. So then I.

We have published nearly six papers on encryption algorithms using Kyotic systems and then moved on to the. Now I have successfully implemented some of the kinetic systems in FPGA and recently I mean today one of the usings help of a student. We have done image encryption using STM 32 board. We have implemented but it is a very simple work we have done taken RGB image we have implemented Lorentz system both are exert and it was we are able to get a cipher image.

There is some more progress to be done, but I have tested it today in uh, embedded system of using the STM 32. And moreover, we are in a process of implementing in the FEG also 90 percentage I have completed, but we are having an error in communication between the, uh, you are to, uh.

You want communication between the device and the I mean, I mean the FPG device and the computer that communication I'm getting some error protocol. I I have to rectify that. All other things are done fine so far, encryption algorithm simulation wise verified, but implementation wise I'm getting some error. Otherwise I'm good to go with that. So like that I'm planning to implement a different image encryption algorithms that that is my current progress moving from RF circuit design to currently based on. FPGA based encryption algorithms and implementation in FPGA. Basically I want to implement the.

And I can, uh, accelerators for image encryption. That is what, uh, my current, uh, vision is all about.

Thank you, Professor Maran, for that comprehensive overview of your research contributions and progression. It's evident that your work spans a diverse and impactful range of topics, from RF circuit design to encryption algorithms on FPGA. Given the depth of your expertise, may I ask how you integrate your research findings into your teaching? Specifically, how do you help students bridge the gap between theoretical principles and cutting-edge applications like those in your research?

Fine, as I said already I have taken the courses on VLSI design and also I'm I'm both theoretical portion and also in lab courses. So then I I discussed the same problem with the students in class. So this is what I have right now. These are the problem statements I have right now. I give them as a caption project they try to see and that I said in the previous discussion. Also I am trying to give the problem statement they are exploring and coming by with the new new ideas. Whichever is best one we are choosing it.

We are trying to implement it over there. We try to trace, we try test it and that's how I integrate the students. They will see rather than the reading the theory, they are far more interested to explore this, these things and that is how we are. I mean trying to integrate the research and the students work also. That's how I collaborate and integrate my teaching and the research work.

Yeah, fine. For example, we have been trying to implement a kinetic system. I have seen many papers implementation of kinetic system which is a part of implementing implementation in the image encryption. For to get the randomness we are using kinetic systems. OK, so but implementation is the kinetic system is how they are implemented in the they are using MATLAB, using program they are generating X&Y values. But how do I implement actually in the hardware? We tried many possibilities, but one simple approach what?

Understood, Professor Maran. It’s clear that you actively involve your students in meaningful projects, fostering their understanding of real-world applications. Let us now explore your experience in guiding student projects and research. Could you share an example of a project or research initiative where you mentored students to achieve a notable outcome?

We tried is that why can't I use the SP ESP 32? But that worked out very finely. They are able to generate using Newton Rams. I mean I forgot the name.

Rango Kuta 4 method we have implemented the Lawrence or any other differential equations which is describing the system or differential equation describe the Kyoto systems is a solid using the Rangota 4 method and we have to return the Arduino code and implement it in the ESP 432 board. Now you check out if a data is coming XYZ values are coming from the SV 30 to board. How could I plot it and check whether it is working correctly or not. So to that what we did now we tried to connect to the ESP 32 board I already it is connected to.

Computer and we use a data streamer option in the excel and then using that we are able to plot XYZ values uh continuously distributing in the associated. Then without any CRO or nothing we are able to plot it XY, XYZ and zed X values. It's like a CRO. It is working in the excel sheet.

That is a very phenomenal change. What we changed. I don't want any, any uh, complex uh, equipments uh, like uh, Raspberry Pi or even Jetson and about nothing is required, just ESP 32 board, uh, excel sheet that is more than enough to implement the.

Systems and moreover, today, as I said today, one student, uh, is just 32 board, but there is a higher board only he has uh, implemented a, I mean, uh, he has implemented the, uh, image encryption algorithm, very simple algorithm. Let it be simple or not, but how do I?

Take the image inside the STM 32 board, take the output from the image STM 32 board. For that, again, we are not using any uh, CRO logic analyzer. We are not using anything, just using a Python script. We are able to integrate, check the serial port of the computer. We are able to check the data and plot it. We are able to get the images also. So that is, I think that is noticeable. Achievement. What we did so far, that is the same thing we are exploring. How can I do that with respect to the?

Uh, FPGA board also, that is my next target. What I want to try uh, this is how I, I think the uh.

I'm achieving some of the things, whatever I desire through students.

OK, So what I do is that see all students are not of equal caliber when I teach. For example, let us take the 60 percentage are following me, remaining 40 are not following to me. So for that I cannot just like that leave them. So what I do is that I when I some of the lectures I take like for 10 minutes or some some it is actually I prepared a one hour video and I uploaded in my own. YouTube account I have uploaded it and I asked them to go through the video so it's not like that they have to.

Thank you, Professor Maran. It is evident that you're not only guiding students towards innovative research but also finding resource-efficient ways to achieve technical goals, which is commendable. Moving forward, let us discuss your teaching methodologies. Can you describe how you balance catering to diverse learning capabilities within a classroom? How do you ensure that both advanced and slower-paced learners benefit equally from your lectures?

Government approached me. Sir, I don't understand like that. I doubt that is such. No such stories. Whenever they want to listen, they can watch that video. How many times I want to watch it, they can watch it the same thing I did. I have a series of whatever lectures I took during online COVID time. We have online classes. Those classes I have recorded completely and I have a set of series of videos complete for VLSI design, circuit theory, digital electronics. For all these courses, I have completely prepared a video lectures. I mean I have recorded.

At that time, those videos, I have a video series. So if I will, whenever the students are feeling, uh, they're not very approachable. For example, they are having shyness. How if I ask, uh, Sir, I'm not understanding what we will think. Those type of some, uh, I don't know whether they're not easily, they're not open minded, they're not talking very fluently. So what I will do, I will share this videos to them. You watch if there is a further more doubt, you have common approach to me. Definitely I will solve the problem with you. I did not.

Use a very regular slides. I will write in the board. I use a digital pad and then try to write. Draw the circuit diagrams. I will take a question. I will try to draw before them. By that I will make sure that I am on par with them. I am also solving along with them. If I make mistakes, they will understand how these are the first what is I will do. I will try to make mistakes for some of the problems deliberately. Then if that out, if that the circuit diagram is mistake. Now what are the results I will get? So I will make purposefully when I am teaching class, I will say that there is a mistake in this circuit. Try to find out like that. I will try to approach it so that they will think, oh, this is a mistake. That is a mistake like that. They will try to understand. I will give some 5 to 10 minutes of them. Then I will say this is a mistake in the circuit. I made it deliberately. If I do this mistake, these are the results I will get. Then I will try to correct myself. OK, so if you do. How to correct this mistake so?

Rather than say what is correct, if we make mistakes, that will have a very pointed observation for them, whoever it is. So that is, I think that's how I approach every problem. Whatever I say, first I will create a problem. I will try to understand how to approach the problem. Then next, that is how I approach a both, uh, that is more interesting to the students. Also, they are occupied. They are not diverse. Some to capture their attention. Definitely, I do like this either slow learners or fast learners, however it is, that's how I do.

OK, I I hope I already answered to this question. When I discuss about how do I prepare my question paper, I will take a simple Boolean expression. I will I mean with respect to and this is an example of an VLS, it is in again once again. So I will ask them to draw the static CMOS circuit diagram, high speed circuit diagrams like pseudi mouse or mirror circuit something like that. I will ask them to draw that is one type of questions and I will draw the for that circuit, calculate the parasitic capacitances. How do you calculate based upon the dimensions of the?

Thank you, Professor Maran. Your strategies, particularly incorporating recorded materials, deliberate mistake-driven learning, and interactive problem-solving, reflect a thoughtful approach to addressing diverse student needs. Let's now assess how you engage in student evaluation. Could you share your approach to designing and grading assessments to ensure they comprehensively evaluate a student's understanding of the subject?

Then I, uh, calculate the rise time and fall time of the circuit, draw the plot of the VTC curve of that particular circuit, power analysis, static power, dynamic power, all things are covered in one particular. I will take one Boolean expression and I will try to cover all topics. So that's how I do, for example, this is with respect to VLSI design. Let me go for a what should I take? Let me take digital electronics. So this is other course what I took sometime back. So for that, what I will do now again, I will give.

Boolean expressions, I will have them implement in NAND gate, nor gate, uh, and then how can I uh, melee machine, more machine uh, then, uh, for example, if I give a boolean expression, how do I implement that using Max? How do I implement that using encoders like that? I will try to frame questions, not only blindly asking what design 3 is to uh, three is to 8 decoder. Not like that. I will use a boolean expression, then try to implement it using mux. Encoders like that I will try to ask it.

And that's how I approach. Not very plain vanilla is not given over there. That's how I do.

OK, so first what I do now, I do a literature survey based upon the literature survey, how far I can contribute to to that. For example, with respect again, encryption algorithms. What I am currently focusing on, I will try to which are the papers which I can contribute that? I will try to have a list of titles, they're abstract. What are the key points I'll try to note down in a notepad. Then using GPTS, I will try to frame what is the best approach to solve. I will try to identify the resources rather than me using the. Finding and giving the process these days I try to give it to the AI tools. Then I try to get what are the research graphs? What are the possible solutions? Then not only just blindly falling from that, I tried to interpret and try to analyze what are the possibilities I can handle this, uh, test, I mean research gaps like that. I approach this problem, then I frame a research title. Then I try to start working day by minimum three months to four months it takes for me to I, I see I, as I said previously, not blindly, uh, giving it to the students. I, first they work on that, then I'm trying to give some portions of them and try to extract the work from the students to validate whether my approach is correct or not. I have to.

Understood, Professor Maran. Your assessment strategies clearly reflect a focus on comprehensive understanding, application, and problem-solving, avoiding straightforward questions to push students towards deeper learning. Let us now discuss your approach to research publications. Can you share how you choose topics for your research papers and ensure their relevance to high-impact journals?

And do that is the only way I can validate and I can I make myself updated to the current scenario. That's how I do my research to the current scenarios. That's how I do using a tools also I'm doing that.

Thank you, Professor Maran. It's clear that you employ a structured methodology for identifying research gaps and leveraging tools for efficient exploration, while also validating your findings through student collaboration. Lastly, let us explore your experience with industry projects or consultancy. Could you share examples of your involvement, especially those that align with your expertise?

No, so far I don't have any experience with respect to industries. I don't have. I have not consulted. I'm not doing any consultancy for the industry works. But what I did so far in we have written a proposal for.

I mean the IR impulse radio ultra wide band radar receivers with I wrote a proposal to DRDO ARD, Aronitical Research Development Board and we are almost crossed two to three rounds of selection committee then finally.

They have for the next questions we are not able to answer, are we? They there is no reply from them. So that's how I stopped over there. That is one approach where I went and discussed with the DRDO and finally it got rejected. Then what we did. Now at that time I went to Hal in this on I mean Hal again DRDO lab only for antenna design. They are good at radar design. So there I went and approached the same idea whether I we can do this or not. They said we are very expert in that. So you try to do the.

I don't know, uh, some point of time it got, uh, they said principally accepted also, but uh, after that, uh.

They gave the problem statements actually.

I mean, multiband filters, multiband filters, uh, design and LNA for UH1UH1DB noise figure. Uh, these are the problem statements they gave and you try to design and give it to me. I'm still writing, uh, working on that. Once I get to the quantum amount of simulation results, only I can write a proposal to them, but I'm having lack of, uh, tools, uh, with myself. So that's why it's being in process of doing it. But this is how I approach the, uh, government agencies rather than in industries. I, my focus is always towards.

Try to do.

I mean, uh.

Defense based work and try to approach my proposals also in that manner. I'm not deliberately, I don't have any industry experiences, but this is how I try to collaborate with the defense based organizations and try to work myself.

Thank you, Professor Maran. It’s evident that while your experience may not include direct consultancy with industries, your proactive efforts in engaging with defense and government organizations demonstrate your drive to contribute to impactful research areas. With this, we have covered all major aspects of the interview. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss or share before we conclude?

Time is up! Ending the interview now.