“Make the world a better place – every day!”

Shubham Dosi works as a Function Development Engineer for Continental. After defending his master thesis in March 2016, he has been busy building his career in the Automotive industry.

Shubham, you graduated in 2016 from TU Chemnitz, what happened next?

I successfully defended my master thesis in March 2016 and graduated from TU Chemnitz in May 2016. Right after my graduation, my master thesis employer offered me a few job options. Unfortunately, I did not take them, since they were not in my area of interest. I had roughly a dozen interviews planned until June 2016 and I got a few job offers. As a master graduate in the field of Automotive Software Engineering with a passion to be a software developer in the automotive industry, I decided to work for Continental in Frankfurt as of July 2016.

How did you go about finding a job in your chosen profession?

First of all, a big credit goes to the course structure of the Automotive Software Engineering (ASE) masters program of TU Chemnitz, which asks you to do a mandatory internship in your 3rd semester. So, my journey to be a part of the automotive industry started back in October 2015, when I started working as an intern for Adam Opel AG, followed by my master thesis employment from July 2016. I gained a lot of practical experience in the Automotive Industry, which played a crucial role in finding a full-time job in my profession. Most of the interviewers were interested in knowing more about my internship and thesis work experience.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

Well, I do not really have a typical working day. Since we are working on innovative and very challenging topics in our department, my task is to develop new complex algorithms and validate them every day with the help of simulations. Communication with my counterparts from Veszprém, Hungary about our current development activities and the involvement of different cross divisional teams (System, Function, Software) is a very important part of my work every day. To summarize: This job creates new challenges every day!

Can you explain your current work in plain English?

As a Function Development Engineer who is responsible for base development topics, I am deeply involved in research & development of control function algorithms for the Continental brake system. Since we are focused on V model-based development, I work with functional and safety requirements on the vehicle level, architecture design, model-based software development of algorithms and simulation. After the development reaches a certain maturity level, vehicle test activities are carried out to make the function ready for a planned software release.

Can you give an example of what you are working on?

Inspired by the idea of “Vision Zero” which aims to achieve “zero crashes” in road traffic accidents, we are working on the development of different control functions for improving automotive safety. One example of such a function development is Cross Wind Compensation: cross wind influence on vehicle behavior is immediately noticeable for every driver, and in some cases these influences can be a serious safety risk. This function consists of a vehicle state observation, along with a cross wind estimation and necessary cross wind intervention. This leads to a safe driving experience and less shock moments for a driver.

What were you hoping to achieve when you enrolled at TU Chemnitz?

I enrolled at TU Chemnitz in October 2013 right after finishing my Bachelor of Engineering degree in India, with almost no work experience within the industry. A new country, new culture and of course a new domain of ‘Automotive’, where I wanted to grow professionally and personally. My priority was to get a deeper insight into the field of automotive software development and gain some practical experience in between my master studies. Additionally, I was also focused on improving my soft skills while adapting to a new culture and respecting their ways of thinking. I would certainly say that my master studies at TU Chemnitz fulfilled my expectations.

What are your plans for the coming years?

At the moment, I am focused on my current project activities, which I plan to complete by the end of the year. Additionally, I am also responsible for a new base project and research topics from the beginning of this year, which I plan to deliver by the end of 2020. I have chosen an expert career path at Continental, which means developing excellence in my current profession and providing relevant training in the future. To achieve this, I will opt for a foreign assignment for a duration of 2 years in the USA or Hungary, from the beginning of 2021. After the completion of my foreign assignment, I will look for technical leadership opportunities in my area of interest.

Is there any advice that you would like to bestow on our current students?

In conjunction with your studies, try to implement your theoretical knowledge practically by getting involved in different projects or internship opportunities. Very important for me is study-life or work-life balance, because it helps me to be very productive and efficient.

TU Chemnitz is one of the best universities, so I am sure they are in safe hands. I wish the current students best of luck for their future. Try to be innovative and productive in whatever you do and make the world a better place - every day!

Further information is available from Evamaria Moore, International Alumni Coordinator at Chemnitz University, Phone +49 371 531-37740, e-mail alumni@tu-chemnitz.de. 

(Interview: Evamaria Moore)

Matthias Fejes
27.03.2019

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