Profile

Photo:

Willem Heijltjes

Waiting anxiously for the final votes!

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      Everyone knows that deep down, computers are all about 1’s and 0’s. On the surface, they’re about programming. A program uses words like  ‘if’, ‘then’, ‘else’, that look normal, but mean something special to the computer. And some maths.

      I want to change programs to use pictures instead of words. Not people-pictures; not take-your-camera-and-say-cheese pictures; but pictures that a computer understands. Here is a movie for computers:

    • My Typical Day:

      I cycle to the university (uphill, meh), think really hard, and then cycle home again (downhill, yay!)

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      Being a scientist is very much like being in school: you learn something new every day… well, almost every day 😉  Even on normal, boring days when you just go to the office.

      The part of computer science that I do is a lot like maths. So on a typical day, I sit down and think. Those are the good days!

      Even better days (or weeks) are when I go to a conference. These are all over the world – here’s a picture of some of the places I’ve been since I became a scientist:

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      Make a computer game!

    CV

    • Education:

      Utrecht University, The Netherlands (1999-2007) and Edinburgh University (2007-2011)

    • Qualifications:

      PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, MSc in Artificial Intelligence, driver’s licence, and some swimming certificates

    • Work History:

      A university in Paris (2011-2012)

    • Current Job:

      I’m a Prize Fellow – like a prize cow, but for scientists

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        a bit cheeky

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        You should try everything at least once, right ;)

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Miike Snow, Caribou, Yeasayer, Son Lux, The Shins, too many to name!

        What's your favourite food?

        Homemade pizza, where I can arrange my topping into neat patterns (I’m a bit obsessive like that)

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        1) To hang on to my hair a little longer. 2) Space on the roads to cycle. 3) Three more wishes (in computer science this is called `recursion’)

        Tell us a joke.

        There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary, and those who don’t :)