The MSU-IIT Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP) is an industry-linked academic initiative designed to integrate graduate-level research with real-world engineering applications. Implemented since 2012 under the MS ECE and PhD ECE programs, GRIP enables graduate students to undertake thesis research aligned with industry needs through structured immersion in partner companies for a duration of 6–8 months.
The program provides foundational training in key IC design disciplines—Digital VLSI, Analog, Mixed-Signal, and RF IC Front-End—during the student’s first year, followed by deployment to host companies in their second year for the implementation of industry-defined thesis projects. Through academic–industry co-mentorship, GRIP bridges theoretical knowledge with applied R&D, supporting technology innovation and workforce readiness in high-value sectors such as semiconductor design and advanced electronics.
GRIP contributes to national efforts in building a sustainable pipeline of highly skilled MS and PhD graduates in integrated circuit (IC) design and related fields. By producing industry-ready researchers and fostering collaborative R&D between universities and industry partners, the program supports the Philippines’ strategic goal of advancing from manufacturing-based participation to innovation-driven engagement in the global semiconductor value chain.
Program Objectives
To institutionalize structured graduate research immersion in industry environments.
To align academic thesis work with real-world engineering and R&D challenges.
To strengthen industry–academe collaboration in IC design and emerging technologies.
To enhance graduate competencies in applied microelectronics and system-level design.
To support talent development for research-intensive roles in the semiconductor industry.
David Estose, a graduating MS student, is currently working with Lattice Semiconductors under the GRIP.
ONGOING / ACTIVE DOST-ERDT SCHOLARS
MS ECE
Ramos, Grace Melanie Martha
Sumbillo, Rejel Jem
Mohammad, Haniah
Homecillo, Sheila
Caserial, Leizl
Romanillos, Ivy Jade
Valdez, Vincent M.
Tumanda, James Lloyd B.
Amores, Arvin Mikhael
Astillero, Winston John F.
Boyose, Leo Franz S.
Casinillo, John Keneth C.
Lugo, John Alfred L.
Olaivar, Andrew Phillip B.
Osabel, Grant Flixel C.
Palgan, Lei Daniel C.
Legaspi, Dale Matthew D.
Padilla, Keziah Mae
PhD ECE
Flores, Kristoffer
Empas, Paul Emmanuel
MS ECE / MS EE IN MICROELECTRONICS ALUMNI
AY 2025 - 2026
Tugahan, Johnny R.
Thesis: Design of a D-Band Low Noise Amplifier with YZ-Embedding Gain Boosting Technique for 6G Applications in 22nm FDSOI Technology
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Xinyx Design (accepted) under GRIP Program but under off-site/online supervision
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Johnny R. Tugahan, Jefferson A. Hora and Xi Zhu, "A 146 GHz Low Noise Amplifier with 19.65 dB Gain Using YZ-Embedding Gain Boosting Technique in 22-nm FDSOI Technology," in Proc. IEEE 23rd International Symp. on Communications and Information Technologies (ISCIT), Sep. 2024, pp. 1-4.
AY 2024 - 2025
Cañeda, Jerwin D.
Thesis: Design of a D-Band High Gain Transmission Line-Based Power Amplifier for 5G-Advanced Applications in 22nm FDSOI Technology
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Xinyx Design under GRIP Program *
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Jerwin D. Cañeda, Jefferson A. Hora and Xi Zhu, "32.1 dB Gain D-Band Line-Based Power Amplifier for 5G-Advanced Applications in 22nm FDSOI Technology," in Proc. IEEE 23rd International Symp. on Communications and Information Technologies (ISCIT), Sep. 2024, pp. 1-4.
AY 2023 - 2024
Comaling, Robert M.
Thesis: 22nm FDSOI Forward Body Biasing in Designing Ultra-Low Power, High PSRR Voltage Reference for IoT Power Management Applications
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Xinyx Design under GRIP Program *
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Diangco, Mike Martin C.
Thesis: 83.17% Power Conversion Efficiency, 13.5 dB Power Dynamic Range Rectifier for RF Energy Harvesting Applications in 22nm FDSOI Technology
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: XINYX DESIGN under GRIP Program *
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Bagundol, Robert Leemar M.
Thesis: Design Methodology of a Voltage Bandgap Reference with High PSRR in Advanced Technology Node for LDO Application
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Toledo, Marc Macbeth M.
Thesis: A Reduced-Power Zero-Current Detector for DC-DC Switched Mode Converter
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Grana, Lawrence P.
Thesis: Low Power Gate Voltage Controlled Schmitt Trigger with Adjustable Hysteresis and 0.1Vth Margin in 22nm FDSOI
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: XINYX DESIGN under GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Clamonte, Johnson E.
Thesis: Design of a Compact Fractal Dipole Antenna for GPS-GSM-based Tracking Applications
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta
Internship: --
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Erojo, Joshua Jr. E.
Thesis: Design of Bow-Tie Antenna Loaded with Parasitic Element for Gain, Directivity and Front-To-Back Ratio Enhancement for Very High Frequency (VHF) Wireless Receiving Applications
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta
Internship: --
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Macasero, Jesrey Martin S.
Thesis: Utility Pipelines Detection Using an SDR Based SFCW-Ground Penetrating Radar System with Convolutional Neural Network
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta
Internship: DOST-Funded Project at MSU-IIT RF & Communications Laboratory
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Mugot, Dhondee D.
Thesis: Communication Signal Enhancement System Design Using Sawtooth Corrugated Vivaldi Antenna
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta
Internship: DOST-Funded Project at MSU-IIT RF & Communications Laboratory
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Ramas, Gil P.
Thesis:
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta
Internship: Antenna Lab at Tatung University, Taiwan
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2022 - 2023
Adrivan, Kriz Kevin C.
Thesis: A Nano-Watt, Self-Biased Subthreshold CMOS Voltage Reference without Resistors and BJT
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Andam, Mark Eric C.
Thesis: Reconfigurable Rectifier Design for Dual Band RF Energy Harvesting
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Librado, Ritt Vincent A.
Thesis: Switched-Capacitor Power Converter (SCPC) for Concurrent Multi-Source Energy Harvesting in 65nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Quinalayo-Tecson, Johanna Mae B.
Thesis: Failure Design Analysis and Evaluation of the Fabricated 3-stage CMOS RF Rectifier for Energy Harvesting in 65 nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2021 - 2022
Maestre, Susie P.
Thesis: Improving Digital Design PPA (Performance, Power, Area) using iSpatial Physical Restructuring
Thesis Adviser: Prof. Aileen Caberos-Gumera / Dr. Jefferson Hora (co-adviser)
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2020 - 2021
Toledo, John Xavier P.
Thesis: Configurable Precision IEEE754-2019 Floating-Point Square Root IP Using Crosslink-NX FPGA
Thesis Adviser: Prof. Jennibeth F. Gatal
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2019 - 2020
Calam, Ramon Cristopher M.
Thesis: A Self-Calibrating Off-Time Controller for WSN/IoT Synchronous Non-Inverting Buck-Boost DC-to-DC Converter Application
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy Gerasta / Dr. Jefferson A. Hora (co-adviser)
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Jimenez, Kresil Joy
Thesis: Self-Biased 2.4 GHz CMOS RF-to-DC Converter with 80% Efficiency and −22.04 dBm Sensitivity for Wi-Fi Energy Harvesting
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy Gerasta / Dr. Jefferson Hora (co-adviser)
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2017 - 2018
Empas, Paul Emmanuel G.
Thesis: A Linearized Cascode Shut-off Low-Noise Amplifier for Carrier Aggregation Application
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Olga Joy Gerasta
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Arellano, Aileen Chris C.
Thesis: Buck Converter with Dead-Time Control and Power-down System for WSN in 65nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Analog Devices Inc. under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Berido, Rovil S.
Thesis: High Power Conversion Efficiency Adaptive Reconfigurable Active Voltage Rectifier/Voltage Doubler for Implantable Medical Devices
Thesis Adviser: Prof. Allenn C. Lowaton
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Salem, Arcel R.
Thesis: A Fabric IP Netlist Generator for a Compiler-Approach to Fabric Integration
Thesis Adviser: Assoc. Prof. Allenn Lowaton
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Maglinte, Kevin O.
Thesis: An Innovative Layout Generator for FPGA IP Physical Design Integration
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Harrez Quimque/Assoc. Prof. Nieva Mapula
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2016 - 2017
Calimpusan, Re-Ann Cristine O.
Thesis: Modified differential voltage multiplier implemented in indoor photovoltaic energy harvesting circuit for wireless sensor networks using 65nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Escabal, Ingrid B.
Thesis: Development of Framer/Deframer for 5GBPS JESD204B soft IP
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Published Papers:
Geralla, Leo B.
Thesis: Optimization of Physically-Aware Synthesis for Digital Implementation Flow
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Sabarillo, Rochelle M,
Thesis: Energy Harvesting from Indoor Ambient Light for Battery Recharging and wireless sensor nodes application implemented in 90nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Vergara, Thesa Ll.
Thesis: Sub-1V Ultra-low quiescent current adaptive capacitorless low-dropout voltage regulator for low power management of wireless sensor networks implemented in 65nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Analog Devices Inc. under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2015 - 2016
Esic, Jhon Ray M.
Thesis: Formal Equivalence Verification Between Register Transfer Level/Gate-Level Netlist and FPGA Full-Chip Netlist Using Cadence Conformal Logic Equivalence Checker
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Mangca, Darwin C.
Thesis: On-the-fly Computation Method in Field-Programmable Gate Array for Analog-to-Digital Converter Linearity Testing
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Analog Devices Inc. under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2014 - 2015
Gorospe, John Michael A.
Thesis: Low Voltage Ultra Low Power PVT Independent and High PSRR Voltage Reference in 65nm CMOS Process
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Analog Devices Inc. under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Jilluh, Qadier Idres
Thesis: A Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Interface Circuit Using Negative Voltage Converter with Active Diode and DC-DC Buck Converter
Thesis Adviser: Prof. Allenn C. Lowaton
Internship: None
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Tolete, John Michael C.
Thesis: A Modified RF to DC Converter CMOS Rectifier Design for Energy Harvesting
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: None
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
AY 2013 - 2014
Abingosa, Marion Rey
Thesis: Interconnect Modeling of Global Metals for 40nm Node
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Capilayan, Mycel A.
Thesis: HSPICE Analysis on Performance Trade-Off Versus Simulation Time
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Xinyx Design under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Gatal, Jennibeth F.
Thesis: FPGA-Based H.264 Video Decoder in RTP Payload Format
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
Husayan, Gladdy Christine G.
Thesis: Improved IP Configuration Process of Lattice FPGA Devices
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Lattice Semiconductor under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Santillan, Jofrey F.
Thesis: Dual-mode Current Control Boost Converter for Battery Application
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Internship: Analog Devices Inc. under the GRIP Program*
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Published Papers:
AY 2012 - 2013
Amaya, Alvin B.
Thesis: Design of an 8 BIT Binary-Weighted Current-Steering Digital-to-Analog Converter for Microcontroller Application
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT
Mercado, Harvey T.
Thesis: Class AB Low Pass Filter for 18-BIT Delta-Sigma Audio Digital-to-Analog Converter
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Jefferson A. Hora
Scholarship: DOST-ERDT