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How Shivanshi Became a BIOS Innovator at Dell

Shivanshi Pandya | Senior Software Engineer | United States

Originally Published: September 19, 2025

I joined Dell as an intern in the summer of 2019 while pursuing my master’s degree in Computer Science at The University of Texas at Arlington. Originally from Gujarat, India, I completed my bachelor’s degree there before moving to the United States in 2017 to continue my studies. Coming out of school, I knew almost nothing about BIOS—except what it stands for: Basic Input Output System! Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to learn and grow, thanks to leaders who believed in me and the strong coding and soft skills I brought with me. After a successful internship, I joined Dell full time in February 2020 on the BIOS Features Manageability Team. As a newcomer, it took me some time to break out of my shell and find my footing. I began networking, learning about different parts of Dell, and understanding how everything connects in the bigger picture. On the BIOS Features team, I managed several projects and served as Scrum Master for four years while also contributing to BIOS feature development. I consistently looked for opportunities to innovate and improve the experience for both our customers and team members. I supported process improvements, participated in organizational initiatives like Agile @ Scale, and helped automate several workflows.

My Role in the BIOS Features Team

I am a Senior Software Engineer responsible for developing new BIOS features across all Dell Technologies client systems, including notebooks, desktops, and tablets. My work spans multiple lines of business such as Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Plus, and Gaming platforms. Day-to-day, I collaborate with technology engineers, strategists, advanced architecture teams, experienced design engineers, and product marketing to help define architectures for new solutions. These solutions often span multiple layers—including hardware, firmware, drivers, middleware, applications, user interfaces, and cloud software. I work closely with technology strategists, marketing, engineering teams, and external partners such as factories to develop solutions for Windows, Linux, and pre-OS environments. Together, we build cutting-edge technologies for Dell platforms by creating new BIOS tools or enhancing existing ones, and by modifying UEFI BIOS platform firmware. My responsibilities also include writing code for both the operating system and BIOS pre-boot environments, conducting rigorous testing using software engineering principles, documenting changes, and adhering to company standards to manage tasks and deliver final solutions.

  

Recent Projects That I Am Proud Of

For my intern project, I was tasked with adding new functionality to the Dell BIOS that enables our customers to change BIOS settings from OS without rebooting to BIOS setup (F2 Screen) every time they want to update any settings. My project enabled our customers, especially IT and gamers, to change BIOS settings on the fly at the OS level. I am most proud of this project because when I joined Dell full time in February 2020, I got to push my code to production and see it make it out the door for our customers to use. I have gotten the opportunity to work on many cool features that we have added for our customers, like Collaboration touchpad, Safe camera shutter, privacy screen, RGB Keyboard backlighting, and more!

What to Expect as a BIOS Engineer at Dell

As a BIOS engineer, you will be responsible for developing firmware code (C/C++), conducting test development on engineering sample laptop and desktop hardware, and supporting the platform BIOS release process, including bug fixes. Our development teams follow the Agile methodology, so we run bi-weekly sprints and actively participate in scrum rituals.

    

My Advice for Someone Looking to Start or Grow Their Career in BIOS Engineering

Be curious! Have strong C/C++ coding and debugging skills and know it’s okay if you don’t have deep BIOS development knowledge yet. Be a team player willing to help as well as contribute to the team’s success. Having a growth mindset and consistently going above and beyond in your responsibilities is always a plus!

Beyond My Role

I’ve been actively involved in:

  • Dell Recent Grad Experience
  • Dell Women in Action Employee Resource Group
  • Dell Graduate Development Program (GDP) – I especially enjoyed job shadowing opportunities!
  • Dell Intern Program – I’m a passionate advocate for Dell’s internship program and love encouraging young talent to take advantage of the incredible learning and growth opportunities it offers. My own intern experience is the reason I chose Dell as my first corporate employer—because of the people, culture, and growth potential.
    

Giving Back Is a Core Value for Me

I believe deeply in the power of giving. Volunteering is something I truly enjoy and consider one of my strengths. We learn more and gain more when we give! I give back through:

  • Dell Career Fairs with Georgia Tech
  • Dell Intern Cell Group Lead, Intern Project Lead, Mentoring Interns, Presentation Practice Sessions
  • Girls Who Game – Judge
  • Central Texas Food Bank – Volunteer

    

To learn more about life at Dell, visit Our Stories.


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