Sam Dunham is an electrical engineer looking for new career opportunities. He has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a 3.9 GPA. Currently, he works as an Analog Validation Engineer at Intel Corporation, where he validates serial I/O interfaces like PCIe and Ethernet. Previously, he was a research assistant at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he designed and optimized circuits. He has strong skills in programming, IC design, and working in teams.

1. Sam Dunham | Curriculum Vitae
1011 D Bent Tree Ln, Columbia SC, 29210
+1 (618) 946 1913 • dunham.samuel@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/samueldunham
Electrical Engineer looking for new career opportunities for which to bring experience and a fresh mind.
Passionate about integrated circuit design and electromagnetics. Has strong work ethic, technical skills, works
comfortably in a team setting.
Previous Employment
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Intel Corporation Columbia, SC
Analog Validation Engineer August 2014 – Present
I am a engineer on the High-Speed Serial I/O validation team and work on a variety of interfaces. In this role,
I am responsible for ensuring proper operation of PCIe, QPI, and 10Gb Ethernet Links. I also contribute to
new tools for validation of FPGA PHY Layer designs using Altera’s Arria 10 PHY. Common to all validation
activities is a strong working knowledge of modern serial link designs including : CDR, PLLs, Equalization
Methods, Adaptive Equalization methods, and basics of test architectures.
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Southern Illinois Univeristy Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
VLSI Research Assistant Jun 2012 – Aug 2014
I worked as a research assistant for both academic and commercial projects. Academically I optimized the
design of a Constant Fraction Discriminator, which is now being considered for consumer production. I also
wrote my thesis and designed experimental synchronizer cells for use with MetaACE, a tool by Blendics.
Education
Academic Qualifications..............................................................................................
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville
MS Electrical Engineering, GPA : 3.9/4.0 2012–2014
Thesis Topic: Data Synchronizer Performance in the Presence of Parameter Variability
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville
BS Electrical Engineering, GPA : 3.33/4.0 2010–2012
Senior Project: Heart Rate Monitor with Emergency Communication
Notable Projects........................................................................................................
○ Masters Thesis: ’Data Synchronizer Performance in the Presence of Parameter Variability’
For the award of the degree of MS Electrical Engineering, I wrote a thesis that analyzed the performance
of data synchronizers in the presence of deep-submicron technology variability. The methods employed
utilized high level analog models to optimize performance of a data synchronizer. In this thesis the concept
and relation of gain-bandwidth product in the loop of a latch circuit to mestability event probability was
introduced. The test synchronizer designs were then supplied to Blendics as reference synchronizer cells. A
copy of document is available upon request for further information.
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2. ○ Undergraduate Senior Project: ’A Heartrate Monitor System with Emergency Communications’
This project took place from January 2012 through August 2012. I worked closely with a team of computer
engineers to develop a sensor which could communicate with tablets, computers, and smartphones via
bluetooth. I was responsible for the sensor design, and analog front end (AFE) for the microcontroller. The
design included Automatic Gain Adjustment, elliptical filtering, and a cheap sensor design from scratch.
Technical and Personal skills
○ Programming Languages: Proficient in: Python, Matlab, Verilog, TCL
Also basic ability with: Assembly, C, Java, R.
○ Industry Software Skills: Matlab (Advanced), JMP (Intermediate), Cadence IC Design Suite (Intermedi-
ate), LTspice (Intermediate).
○ General Business Skills: Good presentation skills, Works well in a team, able to prioritize work to meet
deadlines.
○ IC Design Skills: Digital CMOS (45nm designs), Analog CMOS (0.5um designs), Mixed-Signal Designs,
High Speed Serial I/O Physical Layer Architectures, Metastability mitigation, Process Variation Tolerant
designs.
○ Other: Analytic and critical reasoning skills in debug, Able to write well organized and structured reports.
Interests and extra-curricular activity
○ I was a math, physics, programming, and engineering tutor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for
two years. First I started as a private tutor, but was hired on as a staff tutor shortly after. In this role
I developed my skills in communicating advanced concepts in an easily relatable manner. I thoroughly
enjoyed enabling my peers to better succeed in their education and developed a love of mentoring.
○ I have held every officer position for the student Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
chapter at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. As a member of this group, I encouraged and helped
facilitate students to get involved in extra-curricular competitions. I helped organize group meetings and
outings. I developed leadership skills and a better appreciation for the dynamics of an organization in my
time as an officer. In these roles I had to be comfortable with public speaking and delegation of tasks.
○ I am also an avid guitar player, formerly a member of small heavy metal and blues bands, and solo classical
guitar performance. Other interests include home brewing, literature, hiking, and mathematics studies.
References
○ Four references available upon request.
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