I was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan (definitely worth visiting!) and have spent my childhood in this beautiful city. Through the course of my study at IITK and my various research projects, I have realized that I enjoy statistics, particularly because of the use of rigorous mathematical frameworks to model real-life problems and provide insightful solutions. In my freshman year of IITK, I was drawn drawn to the balance of mathematical elegance and real-world applicability of machine learning after attending the Programming Club’s winter camp. The backpropagation algorithm on the blackboard immediately called to me, and I started exploring the field further. Since then, I have risen through the ranks of Programming Club and Stamatics (math & stats society of IIT-K), getting the opportunity to lead the organizations and as the coordinator. Reliving my winter camp, now from the mentor’s side, was an inspiring experience for me, particularly as I could relate to the mentees and ensure that they receive the best possible start to their journey.
Towards the end of my sophomore year, I gravitated towards statistics in search for the theoretical framework that drives statistical decision-making. Since then, I have completed graduate courses and projects in fundamental areas of statistics to satiate my curiosity. I take a keen interest in Bayesian statistics and have had the privilege of being mentored by Prof. Dootika Vats, Prof. Debasis Kundu and Prof. Arshad Rahman in the field. My research work with prof. Vats has been submitted to JMLR and is available on arxiv. I am currently working with Prof. Snigdhansu Chatterjee and Prof. Vats on inference for deterministic computer models and am learning about recent advances in probabilistic machine learning as part of Prof. Piyush Rai’s reading group. Additionally, I have enjoyed theoretical math courses on analysis and have had fun exploring cryptography.
Apart from academics, I relish debating and participating in debating tournaments (the above photo is our contingent for NUJS Asian parliamentary debate'17). 2020’s lockdown allowed me to debate regularly again, and I’ve tried to make the most of this opportunity. I especially enjoy debating on international relations and minority rights themes. I have always been an avid reader, and books continue to mesmerize me, now with an added benefit of receiving great recommendations from my college peers. Lately, I’ve become a history fanatic and am devouring books on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
I also love to travel, and I take every possible opportunity to go on cycling trips in and around Kanpur. I have (self-proclaimed!) great taste in music. I was brought up in an environment of classic rock and have eventually moved to alternative and progressive rock. I’ve come to appreciate classical Hindustani music through tutelage in the subject in class 11th and 12th. Some of my other quirks in music are Icelandic and indie folk. I’ve been a Chelsea blue since 2011 and have religiously followed the club since their champions league heroics in 2011.
Thank you so much for reading.