From Kashmir to Edinburgh: Who is Dr Zarak Bhat - Kashmir scholar lands prestigious AI role at Edinburgh University

In the last few years, artificial intelligence has gone from being a buzzword to something that influences everything - from smartphones to power grids. Behind these systems lie tiny but powerful semiconductor chips, and the engineers who design them are quietly becoming some of the most important players in global tech.

One such name has been in the headlines lately - Dr Zarak Bhat, an Indian PhD scholar from Kashmir

Who is Dr Zarak Bhat?

Dr Zarak Bhat is an Electronics and Communication Engineering researcher, who has recently joined the University of Edinburgh as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at its APRIL AI Hub. Her work focuses on the role that lies at the intersection of practical machine learning and device engineering, which is a rapidly growing field where machine learning is used to model devices.

Apart from this, the role also includes predicting their performance, exploring different design options, and automating the design process. According to a report by LetsDataScience.


She is using AI to make the design and testing of semiconductor devices faster, smarter, and more reliable, which is exactly where modern tech is headed.

Journey from classroom to high‑tech research

Dr Bhat’s academic path began at the University of Kashmir, where she completed her BE in Electronics and Communication between 2012 and 2016 and graduated with an A+ grade. She later joined Jamia Millia Islamia and earned her MTech from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology during 2017–2019, again securing an A+ grade and actively participating in seminars and research projects on hardware systems.

Her master's years helped her build a strong foundation in Verilog, device modelling, and practical electronics.

From there, she moved to the National Institute of Technology Srinagar for her PhD in Electronics and Communication Engineering, joining the Nanoelectronics Research and Development Group.


Her doctoral work spanned December 2019 to November 2025 and centred on advanced semiconductor technologies, particularly power Gallium Nitride (GaN) models that can support next‑generation power electronic systems.

Dr. Bhat is making her mark with numerous accolades to her name

Dr Bhat is reported to be the first PhD scholar from the Nanoelectronics Research and Development Group at NIT Srinagar.

Her research has appeared in high‑profile international journals such as IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, where she explored how device‑level physics connects to circuit‑level simulations.

In August 2025, she also took part in the advanced training segment of the India Semiconductor Workforce Development Program (ISWDP).

She has received multiple reviewer certifications and was awarded the ISWDP Samsung Student Fellowship, which recognises her contributions to semiconductor research and workforce development in India.