University of North Texas 
Shyam Muralidharan Nair is a chemistry Ph.D. student working in the Interfacial Electrochemistry and Materials Research (IEMR) lab of Dr. Oliver Chyan.
Shyam Muralidharan Nair is a chemistry Ph.D. student working in the Interfacial Electrochemistry and Materials Research (IEMR) lab of Dr. Oliver Chyan, focusing on materials chemistry for microelectronics and IC packaging reliability, with an emphasis on copper (Cu) bonding.
“I lead and co‑lead collaborative projects on Cu‑selective passivation coatings and Cu wire bonding reliability across different substrates,”
said Shyam, who earned his Bachelor’s degree from SIES College of Science, Arts & Commerce in Mumbai and Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry from Vellore Institute of
Technology. “Across these projects, I use electrochemical analysis, thin film processing,
and advanced materials characterization to understand and control how surfaces and
interfaces evolve under manufacturing and reliability stress conditions.”
As a child, Shyam was fascinated by taking apart electronic gadgets. He wondered what was happening inside circuit boards and why some devices lasted for years while others failed much sooner.
“That connection between a lifelong love of electronics and a scientific toolkit for analytical and interfacial chemistry encouraged me to pursue this research,” he said. Prior to coming to UNT, Shyam worked as a Billing Analyst at Cerner in Bangalore. Though a Ph.D. wasn’t originally part of his original career plan, his interest in electronics encouraged him to explore his options and led him to Dr. Chyan’s lab.
“It felt like I had found the perfect bridge between my analytical training and my longstanding passion for electronics,” he said. “Discovering Dr. Chyan’s work at UNT showed me that interfacial electrochemistry and materials characterization could be used to answer the exact questions that had interested me for so long: How do we make interconnects and packaging more reliable? How do we slow corrosion and failure at the ppb level, rather than just design around them?”
Now that he can answer these questions with his work, Shyam strives to develop solutions that are highly reliable, more environmentally friendly, and built for the future. His research has been published in several co-authored papers, and he will be presenting his most recent work at the 2026 IMAPS Symposium in Boston this fall as a recipient of the Microelectronics Foundation Student Travel Grant.
“Professionally, I want this work to keep me closely connected to industry pioneers, so I can learn from their real-world constraints while contributing solutions that can actually be implemented at scale,” he said. “Recognition on major platforms like IMAPS is meaningful, but what I really hope to accomplish is sustained impact on the design and protection of future microelectronic devices.”
This summer Shyam has been working to complete an internship at Intel in Oregon as a gap‑fill module development intern, directly supporting high-volume chip production.
“This internship truly feels like a dream opportunity,” he said. “The process development and tool‑ownership experience I built during my Ph.D. at UNT, especially in thin‑film processing, reliability testing, and data‑driven troubleshooting, gave me a strong foundation to step into this role in a high‑volume manufacturing environment.”
Shyam said he owes much of his success to the guidance and support of his mentor Dr.
Chyan and UNT chemistry professor Dr. Hao Yan, as well as Dr. Jeff Armstrong, the
Principal Engineer at Intel where he is completing his internship.
“Working under Dr. Armstrong's guidance and supervision, this internship taught me so much about high-volume manufacturing. Drawing on his nearly 30 years in the industry, I learned how to move past the academic mindset of my Ph.D. and deliver data-driven insights that truly matter beyond the lab, ” he said. “Dr. Chyan treats the lab like a family and sets very clear expectations about being honest with data, thinking deeply about mechanisms, and always tying our work back to real reliability problems in microelectronics. Dr. Hao Yan’s collaboration and availability have been very important for my growth; he is always willing to discuss ideas, help troubleshoot experiments, and support us when we need guidance. Together, these mentors have shaped how I do research, how I think about problems, and how I communicate my results.”
After earning his doctorate, Shyam hopes to work in the semiconductor industry in roles where he can use his expertise to help teams solve real‑time complex problems on production tools and processes.
“I’m actively exploring job openings across the microelectronics industry and hoping that my current internship with Intel can grow into a full‑time opportunity,” he said. “I enjoy working in the actual manufacturing environment and would like to continue showcasing my skills in the service of advancing chip technologies."