PH.D. IN PHYSICS AT MIT (2013-20)
theoretical foundations behind origins of life
[adviser: Jeremy England]
How do structures self-organize in our complex world? Or are we just good at finding subtle patterns in the chaos?
I explored both these possibilities using tools from dynamical systems theory, statistical mechanics, and information theory, as well as experiments with robotic swarms. See this blog post for the meta perspective, this one for discussion on the origins of life, and my research page for more details.
Highlight: my research was featured in Science Magazine as a breakthrough in our understanding of self-organization
AI SCIENTIST AT GM (2021-23)
econophysics and sociology of AI networks
Researching social coordination – including economic, cognitive, and language mechanisms – and applying these to AI ecosystems
Working on AI at General Motors showed me the importance of not just building effective AI models, but also coordinating their behavior in a complex multi-stakeholder ecosystem. I became fascinated with understanding the mechanisms we use to coordinate our society – form interpersonal to international level – and adapting these to coordinate AIs.
For this work, I gathered and led a 4-person research team internally funded by GM. We submitted 10 records of invention, two of which were protected as trade secret.
COMPLEXITY MINDFULNESS RESEARCH
Complexity science and Eastern philosophy share many parallels, suggesting new research opportunities for both fields
We are building a research community and developing the epistemological foundations for a productive synergy between hard sciences and introspective inquiry. Complexity science seems like the perfect bridge – with its holistic perspective, information-theoretic cognitive modeling, and study of socially-constructed realities. At the same time, we believe it's important to "walk the talk" and have a personal introspective practice when doing this work.
For potential research directions, check out these blog-posts on "quantum post-structuralism" and paradox of tolerance.
OTHER INTERESTS
TRAVEL
I have been traveling on-and-off since 2008 - whether by working and studying in different countries, going to conferences and workshops, or being a digital nomad. I am a minimalist and enjoy living out of a carry-on backpack for years at a time. I find that travel keeps me real about fundamental truths I can believe about the world, and culture-specific opinions that quickly break down in other contexts. Travel has been one of the biggest influences on my philosophical and scientific perspective.
MINDFULNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH
Our reality arises in the interaction between the inner and the outer. Having made understanding of "the outer" my profession, I have then been digging into understanding "the inner" over the last 7 years. I have come to appreciate that this research is no less profound or elegant than physics. I have completed many courses in various mindfulness traditions, such as Vipassana, Non-Violent Communication, Circling, Radical Honesty, and Tantra Yoga, and have led workshops in some of them.
My deeper interest here is to bring more of the rationalist approach and the scientific method into these practices to help de-segregate science and spirituality.
Check out some of my blog posts on this, e.g. this one
Academic Background
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B.Sc.: University of Michigan, U.S. - Physics and Math, with experimental work on laser systems and condensed matter
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1 year study-abroad at Oxford University, U.K.
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M.Sc: Perimeter Institute, Canada - Theoretical physics, thesis on asymptotically safe quantum gravity
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Gap-year: teaching at a master’s program in applied math in Senegal
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Ph.D. + 1 year post-doc: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S., thesis "On typicality and adaptation in driven dynamical systems"
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Machine Learning scientist at General Motors: understanding and predicting behavior of GM's logistics network; AI alignment