Adin Aviv — Electrical Engineering

01

About me

I'm an electrical engineering student at McMaster University with a strong passion for building and understanding how electronic systems work. I've built projects like a self-driving vehicle, a room-mapping LiDAR device and a real-time radar signal processor, and I have research experience in silicon photonics.

I'm currently an Application Engineering Intern at Semtech, where I test high-speed signal integrity products and help run the R&D lab. I like taking on projects no matter how difficult or complex they are, and I'm always looking to learn new skills and put them to practical use.

Away from the bench I play chess (19 years), saxophone (11 years) and piano (9 years, self-taught), and I love baking and cooking.

02

Experience

Application Engineering Intern

Semtech Corporation · Burlington, ON

May 2026 – Present
- Test high-speed signal integrity products with lab equipment such as VNAs, BERTs, oscilloscopes, LCAs, MCBs and DCAs, connected over optical, RF and electrical links. Analyze eye diagrams, BER data, power consumption and device-specific settings and registers.
- Developed a Python script to replace outdated software for an active MCB. I used a Beagle protocol analyzer to capture the key I²C transactions from the LabVIEW software, then connected the device to lab PCs over I²C through an internal dongle.
- Handle lab management for the R&D lab: ESD bench and floor safety checks, keeping the Indysoft equipment records up to date, and arranging equipment repair and calibration.
- Create SAP purchase requisitions for calibration, repairs and lab purchases.
- Maintain the lab 3D printer and design equipment enclosures and assemblies in Fusion 360.
- Signal integrity
- BERT / VNA
- Python
- I²C
- LabVIEW
- Fusion 360
- SAP
Chess Club Lead Instructor

JHamilton · Hamilton, ON

Oct 2023 – Jun 2024
- Organized and led weekly chess sessions for youth, keeping students engaged and attendance steady.
- Wrote structured lesson plans for different skill levels, covering strategy, tactics and game fundamentals.
- Coached students one-on-one during games and gave feedback to strengthen their decision-making and critical thinking.
- Leadership
- Teaching
- Communication
Silicon Photonics Research Assistant

McMaster University, Dept. of Engineering Physics · Hamilton, ON

May 2022 – Aug 2022
- Led a research project, "Spectroscopy for Rare-Earth Dopant Cross Sections". I designed and built an optical setup to measure absorbance data and extract rare-earth dopant cross sections, and presented the results at the McMaster Society for Engineering Research 2022 Poster Showcase.
- Built a system in which a white light laser (WLL) sends light through a photonic crystal fiber, where it is collimated and then focused into single-mode or multimode fiber, including free-space coupling alignment.
- Wrote a literature review on calculating emission cross sections from measured absorbance data (Füchtbauer–Ladenburg, Judd–Ofelt and McCumber theory) and began a MATLAB tool to process the spectra.
- Operated and troubleshot an optical spectrum analyzer, Metricon, spectrometers, oscilloscope, signal generator and white light laser sources.
- Helped implement a laser safety interlock, wrote SOPs for lab equipment, and advised the PI on equipment purchases.
- Photonics
- Spectroscopy
- Fiber optics
- OSA
- MATLAB
- Lab safety
View research poster (PDF)
Camp Counsellor / Playground Leader

City of Toronto · Toronto, ON

Jun 2021 – Aug 2021
- Supervised assigned campers at Canoe Landing CRC and kept them safe.
- Prepared and led camp programming and activities, and used teachable moments as they came up.
- Communicated with parents professionally and courteously.

03

Projects

Robotics · System integration

Custom Autonomous Electric Vehicle

Controlled the vehicle with a Jetson Nano running Linux and ROS, integrating LiDAR, an IMU and a VESC for real-time sensing and motor control. Joystick input over ROS topics allowed manual driving.
Developed a wall-following controller using feedback linearization to keep the vehicle centred between hallway walls, with speed adjusted based on obstacle proximity.
Designed a Python navigation algorithm that finds the largest gap ahead of the vehicle, and used a quadratic program to create virtual barrier zones for safe path planning.
Wrote a Python self-driving algorithm that navigated around static obstacles by adjusting turning radius and velocity in real time based on stop and safe distance parameters.

ROS
Linux
C++
Python
Jetson Nano
LiDAR
Controls

DSP · Embedded C

MTI Radar Signal Processor

Developed real-time signal processing algorithms in C for a TMS320 DSP processor to process raw radar data.
Implemented and validated two-pulse and three-pulse Moving Target Indicator (MTI) filters that suppressed stationary clutter and isolated moving targets in high-noise environments.
Validated the hardware with oscilloscope measurements, comparing filtered real-time outputs against raw radar sweeps to confirm zero-Doppler components were suppressed.
Refined the DSP routines and added a Hanning window, then used frequency-domain analysis to weigh signal attenuation against noise amplification.

C
TMS320 DSP
MATLAB
Oscilloscope
Radar

Read the lab report (PDF)

Embedded systems · Sensing

Embedded Spatial Measurement System

Designed and built an embedded spatial measurement system using a time-of-flight LiDAR sensor and a microcontroller to capture information about the area around the user.
Mounted the sensor on a rotating mechanism to take distance measurements through a full 360° within a single vertical plane.
Stored the mapped spatial data in onboard memory and later sent it to a PC for 3D reconstruction and visualization.
Wrote C and assembly to control the stepper motor, and Python for visualization. The sensor communicates over I²C, and the data goes to the PC over UART.

C
Assembly
Python
I²C
UART
Time-of-flight LiDAR

Read the project report (PDF)

Analog circuit design

High-Linearity Signal Amplifier

Designed, simulated and built a high-linearity amplifier using an NPN BJT in a common-collector topology: a unity-gain buffer for impedance matching that boosts the current of a weak signal while keeping its voltage nearly the same.
Drove a 100 Ω load with less than 10% attenuation, with clean output for signals up to about 0.5 V before distortion appeared.
Validated performance with PSpice simulations, then confirmed the results on hardware with an oscilloscope, network analyzer and spectrum analyzer to meet every specification.

BJT
PSpice
Network analyzer
Spectrum analyzer

Digital circuit design

MOSFET-Based XOR Gate

Designed a CMOS XOR gate from NMOS and PMOS transistors, sizing the transistors in LTSpice for stable performance.
Built a hardware prototype on the Analog Discovery 2 kit, using its digital I/O pins to validate the circuit.
Ran functional testing and timing analysis with oscilloscopes, measuring voltage levels, rise/fall times and propagation delays against the performance criteria.
Explored pass-transistor logic (PTL) as an alternative design and compared its voltage and timing behaviour with the standard CMOS approach.

CMOS
LTSpice
Analog Discovery 2
Timing analysis

Hackathon · DeltaHacks 9

Exam Season Planner

Worked in a team at the DeltaHacks 9 hackathon to build a scheduling tool that helps students plan their study days during exam season, using HTML, Python, Flask and JavaScript.
Users set the start and end of their day and add tasks with estimated durations. The tool checks the total against the available hours, warns if the tasks don't fit, then spreads them across the day with short breaks built in.
Tasks appear on a colour-coded schedule, with distinct colours for tasks in progress and completed. JavaScript validates inputs and converts times, and invalid entries show a clear message.

Python
Flask
JavaScript
HTML/CSS
Teamwork

View on GitHub

04

Skills

Languages & software

Python
C / C++
Verilog
Assembly
MATLAB
Linux
ROS
LTSpice
PSpice
Altium Designer
Quartus Prime
LabVIEW
Fusion 360
Autodesk Inventor
Visual Studio
Microsoft Office
SAP

Technical

Signal integrity
Digital signal processing
Embedded systems
Circuit design
PCB design
RTL design
Object-oriented programming
I²C / UART
Fiber optics & spectroscopy
3D printing
Laboratory management

Lab equipment

Oscilloscopes
BERTs
VNAs
DCAs
LCAs
Optical attenuators
Signal generators
Spectrum & network analyzers
Optical spectrum analyzers
Spectrometers
Beagle protocol analyzer

Professional

Problem-solving
Communication
Collaboration
Leadership
Initiative
Time management
Critical thinking
Organization
Reliability

05

Certificates & courses

Introduction to FPGA Design for Embedded Systems

University of Colorado Boulder · Coursera

Issued Aug 2025
Credential ID EPA881133S80

Intel Quartus Prime
FPGA

Show credential

Armv8-M Architecture Fundamentals

Arm · Coursera

Issued Aug 2025
Credential ID S8ZFK7U878KN

Arm Cortex-M
Embedded

Show credential

PCB Basic Design Course

Altium Education

Issued Aug 2025
Credential ID cert_6n5fj6fp

PCB design
Altium Designer

View certificate (PDF)

Relevant coursework

Signals & communications

Digital Signal Processing
Signals and Systems
Digital and Analogue Communication Systems
Advanced Probability and Random Processes

Circuits & electronics

Circuits I and II
Electronics I and II
Electromagnetics I and II
Energy Conversion

Digital & computing

Logic Design
Microprocessor System Project
Principles of Programming
Data-Based Structures and Algorithm Optimization
Computer-Aided Engineering

Systems, design & practice

Control Systems
Electrical System Integration Project
Integrated Engineering Design Projects
Engineering Economics
Engineering Ethics

06

Let's connect

I'm looking for new-grad opportunities in electrical engineering, particularly in signal integrity, embedded systems and hardware. I'd be glad to hear from you.