A comeback journey: Rebuilding confidence through formal verification

When Lindu Krishna joined Axiomise after a career break, she wasn’t just relearning technical concepts – she was rebuilding her confidence, redefining what it means to be a woman engineer and quietly becoming the person who can take ownership of complex formal verification blocks. Backed by a culture where nobody sits idle, where training is an explicit part of the onboarding, and where women are strongly represented in the engineering team, her story shows how the right environment can turn “do I still remember this?” into “wait, I can do that—independently.” The blog post is a candid look at the realities of returning to work – after maternity leave, the experience of formal verification beyond “pressing a button,” and the power of managers who invest in your growth exactly when it matters most.

What’s something you’ve done at Axiomise that would make your past self go, “wait, I can do that?”

One thing I’ve done at Axiomise that my past self would be surprised by is taking ownership of the formal verification of the sub blocks and carrying out the FV tasks independently with some guidance. This has significantly boosted my confidence in my technical abilities. I was also trusted to analyse and debug complex issues, which helped me develop stronger problem -solving skills and showed me that I can handle challenging responsibilities independently.

What’s surprised you most about the culture here once you were inside?

I was surprised the most about the dedication and commitment of everyone in the Axiomise team. Everyone is focused on their work, and no one sits idle. Everyone is engaged with their tasks every day, creating a highly productive and motivating work environment. At the same time, people are always willing to help and support each other whenever needed, making it a collaborative and positive place to work.

What’s one skill you’ve developed here that wasn’t in your original job description?

Formal Property verification

What’s different about being a woman engineer here compared to elsewhere (if anything)?

One thing I’ve noticed at Axiomise is the strong representation of women in the engineering team. There is a healthy balance of women and men, which creates an inclusive and supportive work environment.

When I joined Axiomise after a career break, I had forgotten many technical concepts and needed time to rebuild my knowledge. The company was very understanding of my situation and, including the fact that I was balancing my learning with the responsibilities of raising a child. I was given the time, support, and training I needed to regain my confidence and develop the skills required for formal verification. That level of understanding and encouragement made me a real difference and helped me grow into my role.

What’s one-way Axiomise has invested in your growth that really made a difference?

One of the biggest ways Axiomise has invested in my growth is by providing the right support when I needed it the most. After my career gap, I initially struggled with coding and getting back into a technical mindset. Instead of expecting me to catch up on my own, Axiomise arranged additional training and regularly checked in with me to understand how I was progressing and how I felt about the learning process.

Once the management saw that I was putting in the effort and working hard to understand the concepts, they continued to provide me with the support, guidance, and time I needed to improve. That encouragement made a significant difference to my confidence and helped me successfully grow into my role.

What’s a myth about working in formal verification that you’d happily kill off?

One myth I’d happily debunk is that formal verification is just about writing properties and pressing a button. In reality, it requires a deep understanding of the design, careful analysis of the requirements, writing good properties, interpreting results correctly, debugging complex failures, and collaborating with designers and verification engineers. A significant part of the work is problem solving and critical thinking. In my experience, every block and every bug presents a new challenge. There is always something new to learn, whether it is understanding the complex design, writing effective properties, or investigating unexpected failures.

For someone worried they might not “tick every box,” how steep is the learning curve at Axiomise—and how supported are you?

I was one of those people who had a lot of struggles initially when I joined, mainly because of my career gap. I struggled initially, especially with the coding, but I was determined to learn and improve. Even today, I continue to learn new things, which is one of the exciting aspects of working at Axiomise.

Whenever I found it difficult to catch up in the beginning, I received support from my managers, HR, and the colleagues I worked with. They understood the challenges I was facing and were always willing to help.

One of the things that attracted me to Axiomise in the first place was that the job description clearly mentioned the training provided. That gave me confidence that I would have the opportunity to refresh the concepts I had forgotten and rebuild my knowledge from the basics. The training and support provided, both before and after being assigned to a project, are excellent. For anyone who is genuinely willing to learn, Axiomise provides guidance, time, encouragement needed to become capable of handling verification tasks independently in a relatively short time.

If you’re keen to delve further into formal verification, Axiomise’s website is an excellent place to start—offering both resources and career opportunities. The company’s semi-annual Graduate Program provides a welcoming pathway for aspiring candidates, with applications open directly via the website.

Also Read:

Bringing mathematical rigour in the world of hardware – a journey into Formal Verification

Axiomise Introduces nocProve to Transform NoC Design Verification

Akeana Partners with Axiomise for Formal Verification of Its Super-Scalar RISC-V Cores