I'm currently involved in algorithmic research and consulting and have a variety of personal and professional interests including philosophy, physics (theoretical and applied, as well as meta-), psychology, language, rhetoric, perception, information, finance, stuff that recently goes by the name "behavioural economics" (and which is probably more aptly described as "dog psychology" and which was certainly more respectable when it bore that name), et cetera.

I often wonder whether these are all just the same thing and whether I could save time by inventing a new field.

(And then I go back to plowing same.)

Interesting things to see:

 

  • "Nothing" interests me!  (In the sense that "it's always something!")
  • For a good time, see Goodhart's Law and Campbell's Law - and, then see Werner Heisenberg, laughing!

Interesting things to read:

 

Essentially, this study uses a PageRank-like iterative eigenvalue algorithm to rank doctoral programs, based upon the placement of graduated candidates into positions with academic institutions. Though it does not factor those who get real jobs, it is still an interesting datapoint. Bonus points for predicting the #1 rank - without reading the paper.  (These days, I regretfully think that perhaps measuring - let's face it - the "popularity" of supposedly scientific programs was maybe not what future scientists will look back upon as "a good idea.")

 

Current Research:

Interested in the characteristics of personal loans provided through Peer to Peer Lending online personal loan platforms. Specific focus on identifying characteristics of loans whose performance is beating the credit cohort. In general, an interest in the emerging peer to peer lending space, as an alternative/disintermediate to traditional banking systems.

Contact Information:

gillum (-at-) FAS (-dot-) Harvard (-dot-) edu

Office (sinecure) Location:

Beachfront, pondering boundary conditions and phase transitions, enjoying particle/wave duality and - lovingly - embracing paradox.

(I only give you my) Situation:

Out of college, no money spent - see the future, pays the rent - not all the money's gone; nowhere to go.

But --- oh that magic feeling: "Nowhere to go!"

Meta-note:  This page used to live at http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~gillum, but someone decided to decommission the old, working FAS Unix server and replace it with a seemingly white-labeled 1999 version of Google's old Blogger interface - touchingly called Scholar - complete with a confusing (but "easier for most people", I imagine) GUI filled with "widgets" and "boxes" and all kinds of "buttons" and "icons" (that I know not what they do - nor do, I suspect, they). But maybe I am just old and cranky. Also, my FAS email address, below, may stop working, soon, too, after years and years - and I am putting off signing up to the new Harvard Gmail paradigm as long as I can hold out. Wish me luck!