Three Georgia Tech engineering students — Shovan Bhatia, Katelyn Groenhout and Pradyot Yadav — have been named 2021 scholars by The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. They were chosen for their academic excellence in undergraduate research work and dedication to furthering research and development in their respective fields. From medical robotics to electrochemical energy solutions to wireless communications technology, these engineers are already making research advances in their respective fields.

Pradyot Yadav

3rd-year electrical and computer engineering student

Pradyot Yadav is a third-year student from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Yadav worked in Professor James Kenney’s lab investigating radio frequency and microwave power amplifier design, which led to his winning the IMS Student Design Competition in 2019 and a publication in the Microwave Journal in 2020. As a member of Professor Hua Wang’s lab, the Georgia Tech Electronics and Micro-System Lab (GEMS), Yadav helped to implement the group’s first Gallium Nitride (GaN) MMIC design. He is currently working as a technical fellow with the Hughes Research Laboratory GaN process, which is the fastest GaN process in the world.

Outside of the academic sphere, Yadav also works as a Radio Operator for WREK FM’s Rock, Rhythm, and Roll segment and is a member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Eta Kappa Nu, and the IMS 2021 Steering Committee.

Yadav applied for the Goldwater Scholarship to expand his horizons in terms of future research and graduate studies, and for him, becoming a Goldwater scholar is a testament to the extensive work he has put into research.

“My being awarded this scholarship marks the start of a career focused on the cutting edge in RF/mmWave research,” said Yadav. “The scholarship also provides me with a solid academic foundation for when I apply to graduate school and seek funding for my future research.”

Yadav plans to intern this summer at Qorvo, a leading radio frequency company, where he will work with a device physics Fellow to develop a new GaN device model that would provide its designers with more flexibility. This will be his second summer interning for the company. After he graduates next Spring, he will be pursuing a PhD in Microwave Engineering, with a focus on III-IV semiconductor research and mmWave circuit design and ultimately aims for a career in industry research.

About the Scholarship

The Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious one of its kind for natural science, engineering and mathematics students, awards college sophomores and juniors who plan to pursue careers in STEM research. Its goal is to cultivate scientific talent and aid in the creation of highly qualified professionals in science and engineering fields in the US. More than 1250 STEM students were nominated for the scholarship by 438 different schools, and out of the 410 who were selected, a little over half are women. Each recipient will receive $7,500.

Read the full story via the Georgia Tech College of Engineering website.