Electrical engineering student represents UB at international semiconductor workshop
Pranati Reddy Kuntla (second from left) had the oppertunity to visit the cleanroom at NXP.
By Elizabeth Egan
Published November 18, 2025
Pranati Reddy Kuntla, PhD student in electrical engineering, represented the University at Buffalo on a national stage when she attended the Eindhoven Semicon Summer School in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Kuntla in Eindhoven
The semiconductor workshop was held at the Eindhoven University of Technology from Aug. 24 to 29. Eighty students from 12 countries came to Eindhoven to learn about the semiconductor industry in Europe.
The workshop is open to students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a STEM field. Kuntla was one of five students sponsored by SUNY to attend the workshop. She was nominated by her advisor, Huamin Li, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
During the workshop, students had the opportunity to attend lectures from industry leaders and university researchers regarding the semiconductor ecosystem and to visit global giants in the semiconductor industry, ASML and NXP.
“Pranati’s selection for this program is a wonderful recognition of her talent and hard work,” said Li. “It also reflects the strong momentum we’re building in UB’s Department of Electrical Engineering and through the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Technologies.”
Li continued, “Opportunities like this demonstrate how UB’s integrated approach to education and research is preparing our students to collaborate with industry leaders worldwide and to help shape the future of microelectronics.”
Throughout the week, students worked in teams to perform their own research. Kuntla worked on a project titled “Analytical Design of Terahertz Metamaterial Devices for Spectral Control.”
The team designed a split ring resonator device and studied its theoretical performance, exploring how parameters like the width and radius of the resonator influenced the device’s behavior.
“This work was quite different from my research at UB, where I focus on experimental 2D material synthesis and device fabrication,” said Kuntla. “While my UB work involves hands-on material growth and characterization, the summer school project required a deep dive into theoretical modeling and electromagnetic simulations, something I hadn’t explored in such depth before.”
On the last day, Kuntla and her team presented their work in front of the other workshop participants.
Kuntla said that one of her favorite parts of the workshop was a lecture about 2D materials by Vina Faramarzi, a senior researcher at ASML.
“It was exciting to see that the research I am pursuing is not only academically relevant but also highly anticipated by industry,” said Kuntla.
Another opportunity Kuntla enjoyed was going inside the cleanroom at NXP. Having spent a lot of time in UB’s cleanroom, Kuntla said getting to see the fast-paced and automated operations at NXP was fascinating.
“This experience has given me greater clarity on how academic research connects with industry advancements,” said Kuntla. “I’m returning with renewed energy and focus, ready to take the next steps in my research journey and embrace the exciting challenges ahead.”
Kuntla noted that she joined Li’s research group as a volunteer researcher before being offered a PhD position and said she encourages other volunteer researchers to take their work seriously because it can lead to unexpected and wonderful opportunities.