C. Alejandra Carreon
C. Alejandra Carreon

Personal Statement

Where do I start?
Since I was a little kid, I knew that I wanted to be some kind of tinkerer , I've always been the kind of tech nerd that likes to disassemble any sort of mechanism, understand how it works from the inside and then test my understanding about it by reassembling it just to see if it works as it did before I mangled it.
Research gave me a big opportunity to adjust this abstract concept into something do-able in our modern (advanced-ish) society where you cannot just "invent the lightbulb" or "discover the gravity"; that, plus my will to do things for the better & my sense of fulfilled when I help someone makes the environment of Professor-Researcher look like a dream to me, which in practice, has proven me to fit in my very soul desires as good as a glove.

About me

I'm a computer scientist and researcher specializing in timing synchronization, kernel-level development, and hardware-software co-design. My work spans software-defined systems, OS-level timing solutions, and multi-FPGA synchronization with a focus on precision and reliability in constrained environments.

Outside of research, I'm a firm believer that curiosity is the best debugging tool which is the same one that leads me to take things apart and put them back together, whether it's a kernel module or a new album. I've been doing both since before I knew what a set of computer instructions were, and that hasn't changed much.

I'm committed to advancing communications technologies and empowering others through education. I believe that working towards solutions with the sole purpose of helping each other is what brings society to great places and I stand by that with technology: building tools and infrastructure that bring connectivity and innovation to underserved communities.

Contact Details

Relocating to Europe for PhD - Summer 2026

alejandra.carreon[AT]ale-leehrtz.org
ale.leehrtz[AT]gmail.com

Research

My work sits at the intersection of hardware timing, OS-level systems, and telecommunications infrastructure. The common thread: understanding how things work, breaking them down, and putting them back together better.


Timing & synchronization

How do you make independent systems agree on what time it is, down to the nanosecond? I build GPS-independent solutions that work in constrained, real-world environments using PLLs, MMCM phase correction, White Rabbit-inspired protocols.

Telecommunications infrastructure

GSM networks, E1 synchronization, community telephone systems. Who gets connectivity and who doesn't is often a technical problem with a social answer.

Hardware-software co-design

The boundary between software and hardware is where the interesting problems live. FPGAs, PCIe, host synchronization; precision is won or lost at that interface.

OS & kernel development

The kernel is where timing constraints actually get enforced or violated. Custom drivers, interrupt handling, and real-time control logic are where I do some of my most careful work.

Skillset

My technical work sits at the intersection of hardware timing, OS-level systems, and telecommunications infrastructure. Languages: native Spanish, fluent English, basic French and German.

Languages

C / C++ Python Bash / Shell VHDL / HDL LaTeX Java JavaScript Haskell PHP Dart

Kernel & Systems

Linux kernel modules DAHDI osmo-e1d Kernel driver development User-kernel space integration Real-time control logic Low-level timer & interrupt handling Custom span driver development

Hardware & FPGA

Vivado Zynq-7000 (ZC706) PCIe / XDMA White Rabbit protocol MMCM phase correction IP core development Multi-FPGA synchronization

Networking & Security

OpenVPN iptables / netfilter OSI stack Wireshark GSM / E1 PKI / SSH SCADA-style IT/OT design Firewall administration

Tools & Infrastructure

Git / GitLab GCC / GDB / Make QEMU / KVM CMake VS Code / CLion Apache / Nginx Docker Asterisk

Build Journal & Experience

A running feed of events, experiments, and field notes; from FPGA bring-up logs to conference recaps. Updated as things happen.

Quotes

  • Virtutis laus omnis in actione consistit - All praise of virtue lies in action

    Marcus Tullius Cicero
  • You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?

    Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  • Treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.

    Immanuel Kant
  • You can do what you dream, just remember to listen to the rain.

    Amy Lee, Evanescence

Get In Touch.

Whether you'd like to talk about research, propose an idea, or share a good album I'm just an email away.

Email:
alejandra.carreon[AT]ale-leehrtz.org
ale.leehrtz[AT]gmail.com