Personal

I had a great misfortune to be born in the same year as Justin Bieber which makes me just old enough to remember original Pokemon. In hindsight I've bluffed my way through life, often taking a different perspective on what success is than most people. Some of my greatest achievements, by my own standard mind you, include:

  • making a cheesecake at the age of 7

  • never dreaming of becoming an astronaut [1]

  • getting an outstanding high-school degree with some of the highest absence-rate in recorded history

  • getting a college degree in computer science whilst trying to study biology

My minor superpower is gravitating towards the most expensive item in any given store and my spirit animal is a house cat [2]. 

 
If you’re looking me up on social media, my current profile picture is this 2MP snapshot of me through the viewfinder of my very own Hasselblad 500CM, taken by wonderfully talented Pero (not sure if he has an actual portfolio).

If you’re looking me up on social media, my current profile picture is this 2MP snapshot of me through the viewfinder of my very own Hasselblad 500CM, taken by wonderfully talented Pero (not sure if he has an actual portfolio).

"Professional"

I've spent some time interning at Microsoft Azure which earned me a patent and enough money for a bicycle [3] and a camera. I also used to work as a research assistant [4] at PRO Unlimited (I can't legally say that I worked for Facebook AI Research), under supervision of Professor Lorenzo Torresani (who does work for Facebook AI Research). Now I’m in a middle of the PhD [5]. For my research work, please look here.

Lists

Good writing is not one of my virtues, but I love making lists, so here are some (mildly) interesting facts about me:

  • 1995: swam for the first time

  • got my first personal computer early on and had an unfortunate experience of having Windows ME installed on it

  • 2007: won my first medal at an age-group national championship

  • 2008: won my first age-group national championship

  • 2009: got my first real camera

  • 2010: visited my second continent

  • 2012: learned how to dance

  • 2014: went to college in the US

  • 2014: read the entire Sandman series in less than a week

  • 2014: made this blog

  • 2015: decided not to drink for a year

  • 2017: forgot how to dance

  • 2017: published a paper

  • 2017: participated in a cycling race

  • 2018: made it through 4 years at Dartmouth and have a paper to prove it

  • 2019: was deported from the US

  • 2019: visited a third continent

  • 2020: living through a COVID19 pandemic

  • 2020: decided that earning money is overrated and went back to even posher school

  • 2023: visited my fourth continent

  • 2024: was re-imported to the US

And some ongoing things you'd might like to know:

  • in the period from 2005 to 2019, I've done on average 200 flip-turns a day

  • the number of countries I want to visit at any given time is approximately 150

  • read comic strips daily;
    selected favourites are: Frazz, Garfield, Pearls Before Swine, xkcd, Oglaf, Foxtrot (both classics and regular issues), Calvin & Hobbes

[1] Like most kids, I wanted to be a different thing every week and according to my grandma, astronaut was never one of them. For some reason, I wanted to be a tram driver for quite a long time

[2] I can sleep 18 hours a day, have zero attention span, and am on a good day a nuisance

[3] They pay really well, but bicycles are expensive

[4] My manager tried to hire me as a postdoctoral researcher, but was met with some logistical difficulties as apparently you have to be a doctor to do so.

[5] Donations in food and photographic film are welcome