VasilRYordanov

A new habit

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Time-blocking

I recently stumbled upon an idea for structuring a work-day: time-blocking. The idea has been around for a while, but I accidentally stumbled upon it while looking for a calendar/time-planner. The main proponent of time-blocking is Cal Newport, and although I have been hesistant to read his book, due to its popularity with the self-improvement community, his time-block calendar has been a game changer.

About Me

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

As Tracy Letts says in The Big Short, welcome to my academic ‘dinky webpage’. My academic interests are in Condensed Matter Physics. Currently, for my hobby I am getting into HAM (not the food), and experimenting with designing and taping out analog/RF integrated circuits.

Background

I’m a recent graduate (MSc Semiconductors and Microelectronics, Purdue University, 2025). My academic journey wasn’t the most linear, but just like my interests, it was diverse and incredibly rewarding. My current focus is lithographic reserach, but I am incredibly curious about RF and analog chip design, radars, and system design. I try to practice the latter in my spare time, when my ideas about physics and lithography dry up.

Chaos reigns

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This blog post is inspired by a training I attended on Academic writing. During the training, our linguistics trainer quoted Karl Popper, and referred to Noam Chomsky to back up his arguments about how scientific writing should be done. To my surprise, he had never heard of Paul Fayerabend - a student of Popper, who nonetheless had a completely opposite view of how science should be conducted. Because Popper seems to be popping off … and is being mentioned in almost all trainings I attended on science-related topics, I want to write a bit about how I feel about his views on science. I plan to read his book On , but before I do, I will foolhardly put forward an uninformed opinion, which I allow to be refuted after having read the man.

Gilbert Cell Mixer Design

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction and Project Overview

This project involves the design and implementation of a Gilbert cell mixer for RF applications as part of the 2025 Chipathon organized by the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS). The work encompasses RF circuit design, layout implementation, verification, and comprehensive performance characterization using the GF180MCU process technology.

How research is a creative act

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Why research is an art form

When I started my PhD two months ago, my idea of research was a bit too stringent. The concept I had of research was poorly informed by having read research papers, having listened to academic presentaitons, and having talked to scientists about their topics. But there is a whole epistemological question lying dormant througout any PhD journey, which I believe even senior acedmics forget (or miss altogther) to ask of their students - what is knowledge, how does one create new knowledge, and what is the process.

Resume

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Education

MSc Semiconductors and Microelectronics, Purdue University, 2025
M1 General Physics, University Paris-Saclay, 2023
BSc Theoretical Physics, University of Glasgow, 2022

Work Experience

I graduated recently (May 2025), and have decided to pursue a PhD. Throughout my university years I proactively looked for opportunities to conduct Solid-State Physics related research. Below I have summarized my most recent positions: