Jayashree Roy

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Where did you grow up, Jayashree?

I am from Kolkata, India also known as the "City of Joy", where I was born and brought up. Since my early school days I was very much inclined to science and was always excited about the practical applications and doing experiments, hence engineering.

What was your path to the SKAO?

I received my master's in electronics and communication (microwave) engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. After finishing university, I have worked in academics as a assistant professor in electronics and communication engineering in colleges in India, in industry at semiconductor manufacturer, Qualcomm, and research and development at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, India.

NCRA is one of the SKAO's collaborators and while working there I came to know about the amazing SKA project and was intrigued to work for the SKAO. So when an open position for signal processing engineer opened, I applied.

What's you favourite element of engineering?

It amazes me how engineering utilises scientific knowledge and makes it possible to take science forward even further! Engineering changes the way we could look into the universe!

How has working for the SKAO developed your engineering skills and given you new experiences, challenges and aided your career?

We are building a radio telescope that has such sensitivity and performance that it doesn’t exist on earth yet! While working with SKAO I’ve been directly involved with several system designs such as, dish single pixel feed receiver system, correlator and beamformer and power and signal distribution. I have not only learned precise and detailed analysis to make sure those systems meet stringent SKAO requirements, but also to be able to confront the integration challenges of this large project, and mitigate the technical risks to achieve/produce excellent science!

This year’s INWED theme is “enhanced by engineering”, how do you feel your work is enhancing the wider world?

Being the signal processing domain specialist and design authority for SKA-Mid receiver and central signal processing system, I am responsible to make sure the signal chain achieves several key science objectives, such as excellent spectral dynamic range or stability, etc. I’d like to believe that the complex and intricate engineering work I do is facilitating the building of the world’s largest radio telescopes.