Challenges? Let’s engineer the hell out of them!

Piyush Kaul

“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking to find it” — Niels Bohr.

My life till now has been a course on taking on challenges voluntarily or involuntarily and working on a solution for these challenges using my engineering abilities. Analyzing and solving problems has been a cornerstone of my life since I started understanding the world around me. Even though my parents, grandparents, and forefathers came from the land of Rishis, Kashmir, I began my life in the city of Jammu after migration in 1990. I saw my grandparents put into unfamiliar situations and being asked to solve problems not just in their professional lives but also in their personal lives. Migration uprooted an entire community from their homes to places they had to rebuild, which seemed like an impossible challenge. Their ability to understand and solve problems irrespective of the odds against them impacted my understanding of the importance of self-independence. It instilled a sense of problem-solving from a young age. It is essential to have exposure to a broader worldview to enhance your understanding of the world and prepare yourself for the upcoming challenges. During my teenage years, my parents made sure I could explore the world without traveling, but in the form of books, encyclopaedias, documentaries, and magazines. I am thankful to my parents because they helped develop my independent thought process, irrespective of what was happening around them. This upbringing exposed me to the achievements of scientists worldwide and inspired me to follow the path toward becoming a scientist. Furthermore, during my school years, I participated not just in academics but in sports and cultural activities, making me the holistic person I am today. I credit this achievement to my parents, who could identify my energy during those years and put it in helpful directions.

My undergraduate study had a tremendous influence on who I am today. I interacted with many people from different cultures in India and understood for the first time what it means to be so similar yet different. During this study, I understood that differences between individuals could be a strength instead of a weakness. During this period, I met my wife, and we started something which blossomed into a beautiful life we are living together. The undergraduate period was responsible for piquing my interest in the field of semiconductors and electronics, which was to some extent inspired by the impact of a transistor on the technology development we see around us. 

Progress in life is not just about moving forward and learning new things. It is also about sometimes leaving something behind. Death is a road we all must accept as we progress in life. The impact death of a loved one has on your development must be considered when I talk about my journey thus far. I saw my mother suffer from various ailments during my teenage years, which she succumbed to later. These challenges thrown in your way by life’s unpredictability bring out the learnings on handling such scenarios. I learned an essential lesson on resilience towards extreme challenges and the ability to understand and accept the reality of life and death. However, we must move forward. After working for an upcoming technology company in Bengaluru, I felt professionally unsatisfied. I was missing the exhilaration you get after analyzing and solving engineering problems after working for three years. With this dissatisfaction and the discussion with my wife about taking up a new challenge together, we decided to move to the Netherlands. This move would change a lot of things. Not only did we choose to improve our skills by doing post-graduation together, but we also decided to marry each other and start a new life in a different country, culture, and amongst different people.

Adapting and moving to a different country requires tremendous effort, especially when pursuing higher education at the Eindhoven University of Technology, NL. My wife and I had to adapt to a new way of studying as the curriculum was challenging, and the education system was implemented differently than the Indian education system. This taught me the value of the ability to strive harder to achieve the objective of completing my graduation. While studying in NL, I realized that my motivation to work in the field of electronics design comes from the fact that I could see the impact technological development has had on improving our daily lives in terms of health, safety, and being connected with loved ones. This motivation drove me to pursue my doctoral dissertation in the multi-disciplinary field of electronics for wireless communication. Doing a Ph.D. is the biggest challenge I have faced in my life so far. The pursuit required a lot of sacrifices and a lot of ups and downs. This process taught me to take failure as a learning goal instead of a negative aspect of life. Furthermore, this process has taught me the value of enjoying learning. As the Dutch say, everyone must learn, and there is no age not to learn. This mantra is something I have decided to introduce in my life and has helped me to have a curious outlook on this world. As I went deeper into the world of research and education, I became closer to what my grandparents used to do professionally. I looked at the academic world as a logical extension of my professional career, and I decided to continue as a post-doctoral researcher in the new field of Terahertz technology for imaging and spectroscopy. I work with renowned scientific community members, making every workday exciting as I do not know what ideas/discussions to expect.

It is crucial to balance professional life with equal development in personal life. The learnings in both aspects must be inter-changeable. Sports are one such method to create this balance. I believe sports can play a huge role in developing mental and physical capabilities, which are helpful in our daily lives. Whether it is cycling the entire coastline of NL or playing in a tennis tournament, I feel sports is an excellent way to process my thoughts and introspect on the learnings.

The values and learnings my grandparents and parents have embedded in me have laid the foundation for me to build my life ahead. With my partner and her learnings, I can envision a combined future on the professional and the personal front. I reiterate my statement that there is still a lot to learn and still a lot to be curious about in this world. In conclusion, I am grateful that I could achieve my childhood dream of becoming a scientist, and I am thankful to my wife, parents, siblings, and grandparents for being a part of that process.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” – J. R. R. Tolkien.

Piyush works as a post-doctoral researcher with the Integrated Circuits group in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.