Sanghamitra Roy

Although research achievements and awards have been important milestones, the true source of my success has always been people—especially my students. Mentoring young engineers has been the most meaningful part of my career. I’ve worked with students who arrived with raw potential, discovered a passion for chip design, and went on to join some of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, including Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Micron. Watching them grow, thrive, and contribute to the technologies shaping our future brings me profound joy. Knowing I played even a small role in their journey is one of my greatest rewards.

I also owe a great deal to the collaborative spirit that defines the Bridge Lab. From the beginning, our research environment emphasized bold thinking, questioning the status quo, and offering rigorous, constructive critique. That culture of open intellectual exchange shaped our most innovative ideas and pushed us into research territory that had barely been explored when we started.

And, of course, I credit my family—especially my husband and research partner. Our parallel academic paths, shared goals, and mutual support have been fundamental to every chapter of my career.

Ultimately, I attribute my success to a blend of curiosity, perseverance, collaboration, and a deep commitment to lifting others. Innovation may have brought me into this field, but the lives I’ve touched—and the lives that have touched mine—are what truly define my journey.

One of the most impactful pieces of advice I received came early in my career from a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He told me, “Don’t give your life to the tenure gods.” Those words stayed with me and grounded me during the most demanding years of my tenure‑track journey.

I worked extremely hard—like every junior faculty member does—but I made a conscious decision not to let the process consume my entire life. I was already married, and during that period, my husband and I welcomed our baby boy. Instead of putting life on hold, we embraced it. We traveled internationally as a young family, created memories, and allowed joy, curiosity, and balance to coexist with ambition and academic rigor.

That advice shaped my philosophy: a meaningful career should support your life, not overshadow it. I’ve carried that mindset with me ever since, and it has helped me build a career that is not only successful but deeply fulfilling.

The most important advice I can offer is this: believe in yourself—deeply, consistently, and unapologetically. In engineering and technology, you will encounter criticism, doubt, and moments when the outside world questions your abilities. That noise can be loud. But your inner belief must be louder.

This field is incredibly rewarding, but it isn’t easy. There will be failures, setbacks, and disappointment. That’s normal. What matters is your willingness to keep going—to trust that if you continue trying, learning, and showing up, you will move forward. Progress in engineering rarely happens all at once; it comes from persistence.

When you cultivate that inner confidence, you give yourself permission to grow, to take risks, and to imagine possibilities beyond what others expect of you. So my advice is simple but essential: hold on to your belief in yourself, especially on the days when it feels hardest. It will carry you farther than you think.

Computer engineering is undergoing one of the most dramatic transformations in its history. Over the last decade, the field has advanced at an extraordinary pace, and with the rise of AI, we are now at a true inflection point. AI chips—and the systems built around them—form the backbone of nearly every major technological breakthrough happening today.

That makes this both an incredibly exciting and a genuinely challenging time to be a computer engineer. On one hand, we have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the direction of the tech revolution. The architectures, hardware accelerators, and design innovations we develop today will define the capabilities and ethics of tomorrow’s AI-driven world. Being part of that foundation is thrilling.

But with this opportunity comes complexity. The demand for more performance, more efficiency, and more intelligent systems is accelerating faster than traditional design approaches can keep up with. With AI becoming deeply embedded in society, the stakes are higher—technically, socially, and even globally. For those entering computer engineering today, you have the chance not just to witness change, but to actively shape the future of technology.

Authentic connection is one of the values I hold closest, both professionally and personally. I genuinely enjoy getting to know people—building relationships grounded in trust, respect, and mutual understanding. Whether it’s colleagues, students, collaborators, or friends, I believe the most meaningful work happens when people feel seen, supported, and valued for who they truly are.

I’ve never been motivated by internet fame or follower counts. Impact, to me, comes from something far more personal and lasting: helping people grow. Through the Bridge Lab’s seventeen‑year journey, that has been our guiding principle—changing lives one student at a time. Seeing students find their passion, build confidence, and step into influential roles in the tech world has been deeply fulfilling.

At the core, the values that drive me are authenticity, integrity, meaningful human connection, and a commitment to lifting others. These values shape how I lead, how I teach, how I collaborate, and how I try to live every day.