'Everything starts with a thought'

What if you could give advice to your younger self? Darayus Adil Patel would like to tell his younger self how powerful thoughts can be and that he should keep dreaming. “I see myself as a dreamer, a researcher and an orchestrator. Someone who brings ideas to life and combines different possibilities to create something bigger.”

He grew up in Mumbai, in a warm family and a stimulating environment that shaped him into who he is today, an R&D leader in compute systems architecture at imec.  

Who was the young Darayus?

“I nominate myself as ‘the person with the happiest childhood ever’ (laughs). I grew up in Mumbai with my parents and my older brother, surrounded by love, support, and teachers who encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I always felt that I could grow and explore.” 

So, life was never challenging?

“Naturally, like anyone, I’ve faced challenges, but I’ve never thought of them as insurmountable. I see every challenge as an opportunity to grow. For me, it’s not about making the right choice in a difficult situation but about what you do after you’ve made that choice. If you commit fully, any choice can become the right one.” 

At imec, people from more than a hundred nationalities work under one roof. That diversity creates a unique energy.

What would you like to say to your younger self?

“That everything starts with a thought. You become what you think. If you can imagine it, you can also create it. And what you feel, you attract. Follow that line of thinking and anything becomes possible. I would tell my younger self to always keep believing in that inner potential and in the strength that resides within each of us. Because in the end, everything starts with a thought and sometimes that thought can take you places you could never have imagined. Even all the way to imec.”

What makes imec a special place for you?

“The people. Imec attracts talent from all over the world, with different backgrounds and perspectives. At imec, people from more than a hundred nationalities work under one roof. That diversity creates a unique energy. This environment constantly challenges you to think further, to push boundaries and to build something together that is bigger than yourself. Innovation doesn’t happen in silos but through collaboration and by broadening your perspective.”