Collaboration and conversation

Bringing people together to solve problems makes for better solutions and stronger teams. I do my best to model clear communication, respect, patience, and empathy with my collaborators.

Open-mindedness

For collaboration to yield fruitful results, we must remain open to changing our minds, to being convinced by a good argument, and to seeing what is good in an argument with which we disagree. Our values define us, not our beliefs. When the facts change, we ought to change our minds.

Playfulness, curisosity, and experimentation

We learn best by pushing against the boundaries and trying things that might (and probably will) fail. Play enables us to throw off constraints, question assumptions, and be creative.

Groundedness

The ultimate goal of work, society, the economy, etc. is to serve people and the planet. It’s easy to get lost up in the clouds or down in the weeds when we’re working hard on something. Keeping a clear focus on the goals of the work I’m doing and the tangible benefits that achieving those goals will confer ensures that I’m making a meaningful and impactful contribution in the world.

Swing Dancing

I started dancing at Lindy on Sproul, Berkeley’s premier swing dancing venue, all the way back in 2019. I was the Lindy on Sproul coordinator for 2 years as we revived the club post-COVID, and I’m still a regular attendee. I love the dance, the music, and the community of people it brings out! I’m currently focusing on expanding my repertoire and refining my technique as both a lead and a follow.

Climbing

I picked up bouldering in Summer 2022 and have been loving the progression. My goals for the year are to climb my first V7, get my top-roping and lead-climbing certifications, and climb outside somewhere. For now, catch me stalking around the Touchstone Gyms in the Bay Area!

Running

I ran a Boston Qualifying 2:59:33 in the San Francisco marathon in July 2019, placing 3rd in the 19 and under category and 57th overall! Sadly, Boston wasn’t in the cards for me that year :(

I also hold the dubious COVID-era honor of having completed a full 26.2 mile marathon in my house…. It took 7:31:42, 3020 laps around the foyer-kitchen-dinningroom loop, and a nontrival portion of the cartilage in my knees to complete.

I’m not training right now, but I look forward to improving my 800m, mile, 5K, and 10K times before my fast twitch muscle fiber deteriorates any more than it already has.

Guitar and Piano

I play guitar and piano casually and hold onto a fleeting hope to someday string some chords together into something mildly convincing. Who knows?

Calisthenics

I’ll be honest, I’ve never really liked lifting or stretching as disciplines in themselves. Calisthenics has been my newest project (I started in January 2023) and has me feeling really inspired to get strong and flexible! My goals for the year are do five consecutive muscle ups, hold the human flag and the front lever for fifteen seconds each, master the handstand, and press a handstand.

Cooking

I enjoy learning about the science of cooking and applying it in my kitchen. I love cooking food with and for my friends and playing with different cuisines, flavors, and methods.

Coffee

I’m a bit of a coffee nerd. As in, a bag of freshly roasted beans on me at all times kind of nerd. My current setup is fully portable (hence the omnipresent beans): JX-Pro Manual Coffee Grinder from 1Zpresso and an Aeropress. Just add hot water! Check out James Hoffmann for some of the my favorite coffee content on the internet.

Rollercoasters

Well, I’m kind of a fake thoosie at this point, but my credit count is north of 100 and I have a rankings spreadsheet, so I guess I still qualify. Top 3 are El Toro, Maverick, and I-305. Honorable mention goes to Mean Streak.

My Mission

What do we know? How do we know what we know? How do we fit that knowledge into what we already profess to know? How do we deploy that knowledge in accordance with our values? I’m passionate about building systems within which data and technology can be used to help people answer questions like these to make better decisions.

My Approach

I strongly believe that there is no one discipline to deploy when working at the interface between people and technology. I strive to bring data science, software engineering, economics, philosophy, cognitive science, and good old-fashioned empathy for humans together when developing systems and solutions.

All disciplines build models and use metaphors to understand the world. Understanding what these models have to offer and where they fall short forms the epistemological core of my approach.

My Skills

• Mathematical excellence and problem solving ability applied to statistics, data science, computer science, and economics
• Robust communication with good oral presentation skills and thoughtful technical and non-technical writing
• Project management, delegation, and prioritization honed across diverse project environments
• Teaching and mentoring focused on developing conceptual understanding and building the confidence needed to take on problems.
• Close reading and critical analysis of argumentation, form, and content of texts