[1] He founded the Centre For Electronics Design And Technology (CEDT) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1974, where he was co-director during its first four years.

[2][3] In 1987, Shah became part-time professor of electronic materials at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)[4] in addition to his duties at the University of Neuchâtel.

He studied Electrical Engineering at the ETH Zurich, where he received his diploma (1964) and his Ph.D. degree (1969) at the Institute of Applied Physics.

[1] As a consequence, he moved back to India to become co-director, together with his Indian colleague Prof. B. S. Sonde, of the new Centre for Electronics Design and Technology (CEDT).

In 1987, Shah took on an additional, subsidiary position as part-time professor of electronic materials at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), one of only two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.

Using VHF plasma technology, his group was able to deposit microcrystalline silicon layers as a new photoactive material for solar cells.

[12] As expert on solar panels, he voiced his concerns about Swiss regulations to achieve more usage of alternative energy sources.