Introduction
The Women in Engineering (WIE) sessions at VLSID 2026 brought together leaders from industry, research, and entrepreneurship to share insights on innovation, leadership, and career growth in the semiconductor ecosystem. Through keynote presentations and panel discussions, speakers highlighted how women engineers are contributing to emerging technologies and shaping inclusive, resilient engineering communities.
Keynote Sessions
In the keynote “The Yellow Leopard: Products, People, and Professional Paths,” Malini Narayanamoorthi, India Country Manager and Vice President, MID Engineering, Renesas Electronics, discussed diverse career pathways within the semiconductor ecosystem. She emphasized the importance of product-focused development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and hands-on innovation in building strong technical foundations. Her talk encouraged engineers to explore opportunities across design, system integration, and product engineering while developing leadership skills through real-world project experience.
In a separate keynote, Dr. Sarita Ahlawat, Managing Director and Co-Founder of BotLab Dynamics and Vayudh, shared her entrepreneurial journey in building deep-tech startups focused on drone and robotics innovation. She highlighted the role of persistence, experimentation, and continuous learning in transforming ideas into impactful technologies. Her message encouraged women engineers to pursue ambitious goals, embrace risk-taking, and contribute to innovation-driven startup ecosystems.
The keynote sessions focused on the importance of technical depth, collaboration, and curiosity-driven learning. The speakers emphasized that career growth in semiconductor and deep-tech domains often benefits from interdisciplinary exposure, hands-on experimentation, and active participation in emerging technology initiatives.
Technical Panel Discussion
Silicon to System Excellence with AI: Women Engineering the Future
Chaired by Ashlesha Karandikar (Cadence), the panel featured Dr. Srobona Mitra (AMD), Anindita Banerjee (CDAC Pune), Vaishali Nair (AMD), and Chitra Hariharan (Renesas Electronics). The panelists represented experience across silicon design, formal verification, quantum technologies, and industry–academia collaboration.
A central theme of the discussion was the transformative role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in semiconductor engineering. Panelists discussed how AI-driven approaches are accelerating chip design workflows, improving verification coverage, and enabling intelligent debugging. These advancements are helping engineering teams address increasing system-level complexity while optimizing performance, power, and area requirements. The panel also highlighted the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration across hardware, software, and system architecture teams. As semiconductor designs evolve toward system-level integration, engineers must work across domains to deliver efficient and scalable solutions. Panelists emphasized that diverse engineering teams bring unique perspectives that contribute to creative problem-solving and innovation.
Another key topic discussed was the evolution of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. The speakers noted the need for next-generation platforms that support AI-assisted design workflows, hardware-software co-design, and end-to-end silicon-to-system optimization. Such advancements are expected to enhance productivity and enable engineers to develop increasingly complex semiconductor systems.
Leadership Panel
Breaking Barriers: Building Resilient Careers in the Semiconductor Industry
The leadership panel, “Breaking Barriers: Building Resilient Careers in the Semiconductor Industry,” focused on empowering professionals to build sustainable and impactful careers. Moderated by Sana Shaikh (Synopsys), the panel featured Monila Juneja (Synopsys), Madhavi Rao (Cadence Design Systems), Ritu Sodhi (SemiX, IIT Mumbai), and Eleena Ong (Lattice Semiconductor). The discussion explored strategies for career growth, leadership development, and navigating evolving technology landscapes.
Panelists shared their professional journeys, highlighting the importance of persistence, adaptability, and continuous learning. They discussed how embracing new challenges, developing cross-functional expertise, and building strong professional networks can help engineers thrive in dynamic technical environments. Their experiences provided valuable guidance for early-career professionals and students entering the semiconductor industry.
Mentorship emerged as a key theme during the discussion. The speakers emphasized the value of mentorship programs, professional communities, and peer support in fostering career growth. They encouraged engineers to seek mentors across technical and leadership domains, participate in industry initiatives, and actively contribute to collaborative learning environments.
The panel concluded with advice for aspiring engineers to pursue curiosity-driven learning and remain confident in their technical capabilities. Increasing representation of women in engineering, the panelists noted, strengthens innovation and helps build inclusive workplaces that support diverse perspectives and leadership styles.
Impact and Takeaways
The keynote and panel sessions at VLSID 2026 highlighted the contributions of women leaders in advancing semiconductor innovation and engineering excellence. Through insights on AI-driven design, career resilience, and mentorship, the speakers demonstrated the value of inclusive leadership in addressing complex technological challenges. These discussions continue to inspire the next generation of engineers to pursue innovation, collaboration, and impactful careers in the semiconductor ecosystem.
Conclusion
The WIE sessions at VLSID 2026 demonstrated how women leaders across academia, industry, and entrepreneurship are shaping the future of semiconductor technology. The discussions highlighted the growing impact of artificial intelligence on semiconductor design, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the value of mentorship in career development. Speakers also emphasized that inclusive leadership and diverse engineering teams contribute significantly to innovation and technological progress.
Key themes from the sessions included the rapid adoption of AI-driven design methodologies, the need for next-generation system-level design tools and expanding opportunities in emerging technology domains. The event also reinforced the importance of professional communities in supporting women engineers and encouraging leadership development.
