Persistence opened the first door
My path into ASML began before I had a formal software title. I cold-called in search of an internship and found an opportunity in the production environment. What followed was not one summer assignment, but three progressively more technical internships that connected planning, electrical test engineering, troubleshooting, automation, and software.
The progression mattered because each role put me closer to the actual operating system of the factory: the equipment, the data, the documentation, the people using the tools, and the constraints that determine whether a design is useful in production.
Persistence created the opportunity. Hands-on learning turned it into a career.
Three internships, three views of the factory
Collected and analyzed machine-utilization data, studied downtime and capacity, developed an interactive Excel tool for work-center flow, and presented recommendations for manufacturing configuration and scheduling.
Tested and troubleshot production equipment, analyzed findings for engineers and managers, coordinated replacement paths for aging equipment, and helped organize long-term inventory documentation.
Developed Python automation for temperature-probe calibration and production-file handling, integrated hardware from multiple vendors, and supported upgrades and troubleshooting for factory equipment.
Full-time software design
After completing my undergraduate studies, I joined ASML full time in June 2020. The role combined high-level software development with practicing electrical engineering because the software was inseparable from the tools, devices, and products operating on the factory floor.
Developed and sustained software for proprietary production equipment; managed source code, version control, and documentation for major factory software projects; and created more than a dozen automation tools for troubleshooting and day-to-day departmental work.
Expanded into hardware and software design improvements, operator usability, production data analysis, Windows desktop applications, cross-functional documentation, component lifecycle tracking, and technical leadership during investigations.
Owns increasingly consequential software deliverables supporting factory operations, with a continued focus on usable production tools, integration and testing, troubleshooting, data, documentation, and the engineering handoff around each system.
The factory is part of the development environment
Approximately half of my working time has been spent away from the desk and on the production floor or in a cleanroom. That time is used to integrate and test new production tools, investigate design changes, and support troubleshooting when products or tools behave unexpectedly.
This makes the feedback loop unusually direct. An interface can be observed in the environment where an operator actually uses it. A data pattern can be compared with the physical system that produced it. A durability improvement can be evaluated against the real maintenance and lifecycle constraints of the tool.
Software, data, and operator usability
Production tools generate large quantities of data. My work has included analysis in Python, C++, MATLAB, and Visual Basic to determine whether a product meets specification and whether a tool is showing signs of an issue through the data it collects.
I have also built Windows desktop applications that give mechanical and electrical designs a usable interface, automate repeated tasks, or collect information from connected devices. Across those projects, I have worked with Python, C++, C#, C, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Visual Basic, Excel, and the source-control and documentation systems needed to sustain software beyond its first release.
The public description stops at that operating shape. It does not disclose proprietary system details. What matters to the larger story is the practice: work close to the physical system, design for the operator, preserve the evidence, and leave the next engineer with software and documentation they can support.