Name: Design the Solution Conference: <br/>Navigate Your Way to a Career in Semiconductors @ MIT
Start: 2024-02-06T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-02-06T17:00:00-05:00

Design the Solution is a dynamic half day conference specifically curated to provide attendees with a comprehensive introduction to the pivotal role of the semiconductor industry within the technology sector. The event serves as an unparalleled opportunity to gain invaluable insight into the full spectrum of diverse career paths available at cutting edge companies, illuminating the limitless potential for professional growth and development in this exciting field.

Keynote Speaker Introduction
& Keynote Speech

Collaborative Keynote - Speakers' Journey

Katie Eckermann

Director of Business Development

AMD

Katie Eckermann

Katie Eckermann is a Director of Business Development in AMD’s Strategic Silicon Solutions group, driving customized solutions for innovative customers.  Katie has almost 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry across product marketing, product management, Chief of Staff and business development roles with a focus on Datacenter, Embedded and Automotive markets. Prior to joining AMD in 2013, Katie worked at Freescale Semiconductors focused on Networking & Consumer product solutions.  Katie holds a Bachelors (’03) and Masters of Engineering (’04) from MIT.

John Wuu

Senior Fellow Design Engineer

AMD

John Wuu

John Wuu is a Senior Fellow Design Engineer at AMD in Fort Collins, Colorado, specializing in memory technology and design, high performance cache design, and chiplet DTCO.  In addition to working across the company to define and deliver SRAM solutions, his recent contributions included the physical definition and technology co-development for AMD’s 3D V-Cache™.  Prior to joining AMD in 2006, he had been with Hewlett-Packard and then Intel, working on large L3 caches for Itanium processors.  He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MIT in 1997, and has served as a Technical Program Committee member for the VLSI Symposium since 2016, and for ISSCC since 2023. 

Panel Introduction & Panel Discussion

Panelist Moderator

TBD

Deb Dyson

Moderator

Deb Dyson

Senior Staff Engineer Manager

Marvell Compute and Custom Solutions

Deb Dyson

Deb Dyson has spent over 25 years in the semiconductor industry working for IBM, Cavium, and currently Marvell Technology.  She has worked on a variety of products including ASICs, gaming console processors, and security processors.   For a large percentage of her career, she specialized in chip-level timing closure for SoC designs.   Currently, Deb holds the position of Senior Staff Manager for a physical design team in Marvell’s Compute and Custom Solutions group.   The team designs ARM-based multi-core processors which target three primary end markets:  carrier (with specific focus on 5G base stations), enterprise networks, and data centers.

Deb is passionate about recruiting, mentoring, and supporting women in engineering roles.  Over the years, she has mentored numerous college and professional women and men. She is also a co-founder of her site’s women’s inclusion network where she actively plans and facilitates career-building activities, as well as creates networking opportunities for her group.

Deb is a graduate of the University of Vermont (BSEE), Cornell University (MSEE), and is currently pursuing a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership from Tufts University.

Outside of work, Deb enjoys downhill skiing, hiking, and spending time with her two sons.  She is a proud native New Englander and has lived here most of her life.

Panelists

Rose Castanares

Senior Vice President of Business Management

TSMC North America

Rose Castanares

Rose Castanares is Senior Vice President of Business Management at TSMC North America, responsible for sales and service for major systems and fabless customers. She joined TSMC in 1998 and held various positions, including regional director in Austin Texas, making outstanding contribution to ensure the best customer experience in North America over the last twenty years.

Rose is a veteran of the semiconductor industry and has three decades of semiconductor industry experience. Prior to joining TSMC, Rose held several positions in engineering, quality, and sales at National Semiconductor, Chartered Semiconductor, GTE, and Siliconix.

Rose earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kate Shamberger

Senior Field Technical Director - Americas

Analog Devices (ADI)

Katie Eckermann

As Senior Field Technical Director for Americas, Kate Shamberger leads the team that is a primary technical conduit between ADI and its customers in the Americas. In this role, she works closely with customers to understand their unique technology and business challenges, provide differentiated solutions, and offer best-in-class technical support. Kate consolidates and communicates technical requirements and application needs across the Americas, drives strong alignment between customers and ADI’s Global Business Units on product and solution roadmaps, and helps drive ADI’s robust growth in the Americas by developing and strengthening customer relationships.

Kate has more than 20 years of field technical experience and joined ADI following its 2021 acquisition of Maxim Integrated. While at Maxim, where she spent most of her career, she worked in a number of technical, customer-facing roles of increasing responsibility. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences and Earth Science and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from Dartmouth College.

Thy Tran

Vice President of Global Frontend Procurement

Micron Technologies

Thy Tran

Thy Tran, Vice President of Global Frontend Procurement at Micron Technology, Inc., recently transitioned from her prior role as VP of DRAM Process Integration where she led a global team in the US and Asia to drive DRAM technology development and transfer into high-volume manufacturing fabs. She has nearly 30 years of semiconductor experience working in the US, Europe, and Asia, including two semiconductor fab startups.

Ms. Tran joined Micron in 2008 and led several DRAM module development programs including Advanced Capacitor, Metallization, and Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) integration before taking on the DRAM Process Integration node leadership role for several generations. Her technical contribution has been integral to Micron’s DRAM Technology Development Roadmap and played a significant role in helping Micron achieve DRAM technology leadership. Prior to Micron, Ms. Tran worked on Logic and SRAM technologies at Motorola, Inc. and SRAM at WaferTech, LLC. At Siemens, AG., which later spun off to Infineon and Qimonda, AG. she held several leadership roles in DRAM technology development transfer, and manufacturing.

Ms. Tran graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. She is a recent alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Executive Program and the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program. She is a senior member of IEEE, member of the Society of Women Engineers, and serves as a Strategic Advisory board member for the University of Washington’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department, International Semiconductor Executive Summit, Green Grid Inc., and Mercado Global. She is a recipient of Global Semiconductor Alliance’s 2023 Rising Women of Influence award.