LeapMind’s Employee Interview : Mr.J

Before joining LeapMind in November 2017, I was studying at Warwick University in the U.K. First an MSc. in complexity science, then a PhD. in physics and complexity science. Making simulations to model physical processes was a big part of my work. This involved machine learning for optimization, probabilistic sampling methods, and some group theory mathematics.

What are you responsible for at LeapMind?

In LeapMind, I am making use of my programming and scientific skills in the research and science team. My role includes generating new ideas for efficient deep learning technology, as well as making improvements to existing deep learning methods. I'm also invested in the question of how it is possible for neural networks to learn, and I believe more research in this area is important for making big improvements in this field.

What made you decide to join LeapMind?

When I saw the interesting new technologies occurring in deep learning, I felt it was an exciting field to take part in. I had some experience in creating new algorithms and making existing algorithms faster, so I felt like I could do some good work at LeapMind specifically. On the human side, the idea that people’s lives could become easier by intelligent devices really appealed to me.

What is important to you in your job?

To continue to grow, get new skills, and make a positive contribution are all important for me. Of course, I have interest in mathematics, machine learning, and logical investigation, so I am especially happy to be able to be involved in using these skills in my daily work.

What inspiration do you get from the members around you?

I am coming from a theoretical background. So for me, it was an experience to see the other side of technology, involving software engineers, where code is implemented into working products. Also, the hardware side, where the details of specific components are key. The spirit to create with others in the company is an inspiring feeling.

What do you think about LeapMind? Please tell us what you like about working at LeapMind.

In LeapMind, questions are valued, so I don’t need to worry to ask. Also, collaboration across the company is valued highly. I can speak with people from all different sections, which I think does not always happen in other companies. There are people from various backgrounds, for example home country or work background, so I feel lucky to meet lots of different kinds of people. We have fun playing table tennis, and going to the pub outside of work, too. We recently held a hack-days event inside the company, and I wrote a command-line tool for inspecting network weights, it's a nice tool we can use for visualizing our daily work. One of the things I like about LeapMind is that there is a good culture of encouraging commitment to following through on project ideas to its conclusion.