Congratulations are in order for Vijay Ramachandran, KLA’s Director of AI, who has been working at KLA since 2000.

KLA is a global technology leader with solutions that accelerate tomorrow’s electronic devices. Whether it’s a driverless car, VR experience, a mission to Mars, or factory robotics, we help create technological devices and ideas that transform our future and shape our current life. Virtually no laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device, or smart car would have made it into your hands without us.

It is not surprising that Vijay encountered diverse career challenges and has developed a wide range of expertise during his 19 years with us. When looking back at his career development, he emphasizes: “My current position requires skills and knowledge that is so different from what I learnt at university. My role involves physics, AI, and software, all of which I learned during my 19 years at KLA.”

“My first job here involved mechanical control of robot arms. Over time, I got to work with world-class optical engineers from KLA and our vendors, which was a fantastic learning experience and fostered a deep interest in optics and imaging. This slowly led to a more specialized interest in the computational side of image processing. During this time, KLA enabled me to pursue my interest by facilitating academic learning opportunities for me in emerging image processing techniques using machine learning. I completed a graduate certification in Systems Engineering from Stanford University thanks to this support. A deep understanding of both software and hardware aspects of one of KLA’s products enabled me to explore several roles at KLA including Applications Engineering and Marketing. I am thankful to the company for providing me these incredible opportunities for personal growth. A return back to Engineering enabled me to be a well-rounded contributor to KLA in my current role.”

When asked to try and describe KLA in one sentence he said: “Innovation above everything! Innovation is in KLA’s DNA. The company has played a role in the most significant technological breakthroughs in our lifetime. We continue this evolution and innovation in the age of data across key industries including automotive, mobile and data centers.”

“It brings me a lot of joy to know that KLA’s innovation improves the quality of life of nearly everyone. Today, semiconductors are an increasingly big part of an individual’s daily life. And many ongoing advancements come from sensors and data analytics, which are also powered by semiconductors.”

“Simply put, KLA is one of a handful of companies that are essential for the advancement of semiconductor technology. We are one of those companies that must innovate for the industry to advance. For me, one of the bonuses of working at KLA is the special satisfaction of knowing that we may be working on something that will enable other brands to achieve the next breakthrough which improves the lives of billions. We really work at the forefront of technology.”

“I invite anyone, a graduate student or a veteran, who wants to be part of the next breakthrough to contact me or the KLA career page and inquire about open positions that might be suitable for you.”

Don’t forget to browse KLA’s career openings for the Opportunities Ahead for you.