They are the same age, come from the same town, have the same education and used to work in similar companies for the same amount of years, before they both quit in order to get a master’s degree abroad. Arash Owrang and Moslem Rashidi from Iran have a lot in common, but did not know each other before they met in Gothenburg.
– It is a nice coincidence that we both ended up at the same program at Chalmers, says Moslem. We have become good friends, and since our backgrounds are so similar it is easy for us to cooperate in projects.
At their master’s programme, named Integrated Electronic Systems Design, they have good use of their backgrounds as electronic engineers in telecom companies.
– The programme is at the crossroads of electronic engineering and computer science, focusing on the integration of both hardware and software in electronic devices such as cell phones and computers, and we study for example computer system architecture, hardware design and electronic system design, says Arash.
– Many courses are quite practical, but we are free to choose among a lot of different courses and are even allowed to pick courses from other programmes.
Since Arash and I already have a lot of practical experience from our former jobs, we tend to choose the more theoretical courses, says Moslem.
Their special interests in mathematics and theoretical electronics is another thing that Arash and Moslem share, but while Moslem wants to apply his knowledge to the area of communications, Arash is more intrigued by solving problems in signal processing. Both wants to attend a PhD programme and have a career in research, and it is not unlikely that they will end up living in the same city once again.
– I hope to work in academia or in a research lab somewhere else in Europe or maybe in the U.S., says Moslem.
– Me too, as long as the working language is English, says Arash.
Name: Arash Owrang and
Moslem Rashidi Master's Programme: Integrated Electronic Systems Design (from 2011:
Embedded Electronics Systems Design)
Age: 30
From: Teheran, Iran