About me

Welcome to my blog! I’m a computing scientist based in New York. My work focuses on network flow problems (linear programming and mixed-integer linear programming) applied to a range of systems. Think of examples like traffic flow, metabolism, or even time-travel thought experiments. I build mathematical models of systems, run experiments on many computers, and analyze the data to understand what is possible, what is likely, and what outcomes are optimal. I’m also interested in how models make decisions and develop tools and analyses that let me peek, to borrow the term from AI, into the black box.

I’ve been learning about building AI apps in my own time by putting together a small service-based architecture. I’m particularly interested in constructing and using knowledge graphs, since they feel conceptually similar to the irregularly structured LP and MILP networks I’m used to, at least to my brain.

Before coming here I lived in a few other countries, most recently Scotland, which will always have a place in my heart. It was my home for more than a decade, and the University of Glasgow is where I completed my doctorate and higher education. Most of my work there was in photobiology; I studied how marine bacteria detect and respond to color (think mantis shrimp, but green, single-celled, and producing much of the oxygen we breathe). It involved enzymology, systems biology, and even prototyping electronics. You can say I’m the kind of scientist who invents tools to study old problems in new ways.

Some fun trivia about me: I once cycled across the western portion of the Scottish Highlands on a two-speed city bike. What started as an awesome adventure with a friend quickly turned into a survival experience brought on by the worst storm of my life. Despite this, bungee jumping is still the scariest experience I’ve had, and I would absolutely do it again. I’ve also cycled 300 miles for Cancer Research UK dressed as Pikachu (not in a single trip). If money were no concern, I would probably spend my life raising funds for charity and tackling ambitious projects.

The reason I became a scientist was my interest in terraformers, whether for other planets, space habitats, or Earth. Some questionable napkin math I did in college suggested we could offset our carbon footprint with a dozen large tubular bioreactors, each the volume of Loch Lomond, and a few decades of a defense-sized budget. When I’m not daydreaming about projects that would bankrupt a large nation, I keep things simple with walks, journaling, meditation, and dance lessons.

I created this blog as a challenge to myself to gather the courage to show more to the world. My hope is that this will be the first of many posts. Categories show what each post is generally about (Science, Engineering, Design, Random) and tags list the type of content inside (code, thoughts, etc).

Feel free to contact me through the links under my avatar.

Have fun!