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Matis Bodaghi - Halcyon Graduate

student in blue suit with maroon tie blank background

UCL, Bachelor of Science - BSc, Natural Sciences (2023)

Imperial College London - Master of Science - MSc, Artificial Intelligence (2024)

From the scenic trails of the Lake District to the cutting-edge world of Artificial Intelligence, Matis (Class of 2019) reflects on his journey from Halcyon to completing a Master’s at Imperial College. In this interview he shares his most memorable experiences, the skills he honed at Halcyon, and how they shaped his interdisciplinary approach to learning and problem solving. Matis delves into his academic challenges, his growing passion for AI, and his aspirations for a career in machine learning. Along the way, he offers valuable insights and advice for current Halcyon students considering a future in technology or AI. 

1. Looking back at your time at Halcyon, can you share some memorable experiences?
I enjoyed the outward-bound trips. There was a beautiful cohesion while we were hiking around Lake District and Snowdonia. You share a lot with your classmates, and I became closer to a lot of people on these trips, it's a very memorable bonding experience. I also enjoyed the classes I took during my IB years. All of my Higher Level classes had less than six students and very friendly and passionate teachers, which made it a great, comfortable environment to discuss concepts as a group. It's a big contrast with university where professors sometimes give lectures in rooms of hundreds of students. 

2. What were you most proud of at Halcyon and how does it continue to impact you today?
Interdisciplinarity was a skill that Halcyon promoted a lot. I used to try to make connections between my classes at Halcyon, and I continued to do so during my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Making analogies is a great tool and it helps you understand abstract concepts in your own way and connect them to one another, sometimes in ways that people maybe haven't done before. It can spark creativity and it allows you to have a unique set of skills and understanding of the world.
While I was at Halcyon I was also proud of the activities I was doing as part of CAS, and I kept most of these throughout my studies. I used to play the piano and take part in the jazz orchestra at Halcyon. At UCL I joined the Jazz Society, played at jam sessions every week, and directed a show with 20 musicians. I also played football with Halcyon, which is something I continued to do at university. Halcyon helped me understand the importance that having side activities has on your physical and mental health. 

3. At university, what did you study and where?
I studied Natural Sciences at UCL. It was an interdisciplinary scientific degree in which you could choose a major and a minor in different sciences. I picked Physics as my major and Mathematics and Statistics as my minor. Then I studied a Masters in Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College last year. 

4. What initially sparked your interest - were there any specific classes, teachers, or experiences at Halcyon that influenced your decision to pursue AI?
My interest in AI started around my second year of university. I became more interested in programming after taking some classes in Python, and I decided to find a summer internship in tech in order to see whether it was a good idea to switch. In the evenings I tried to learn as much as possible about computer science and dove into machine learning. After learning more about it and looking at its applications, I decided I would study it for my Masters degree.
 
5. What were some of the most challenging and rewarding parts of your undergraduate and graduate journey?
I started university in 2020, so my first year was entirely online and I met very few people. It was a very difficult period, but thankfully once my second year started everyone was very social and I met a lot of people that have become my closest friends. In my experience, the connections you make at university are very rewarding, and it's easier to meet people who share your interests and beliefs, either because you study similar subjects or because you've joined the same societies. 
The most challenging parts are often the most rewarding as well. Some of the projects I was involved in were very demanding and open-ended. Because of the lengths of these projects, there are ups and downs, and I got stuck a few times, but persevering and getting past these hurdles is what makes the result so rewarding. 

6. How has your perspective on AI evolved over your academic journey?
I remember going to a talk with Halcyon about AI and having a hard time understanding how machines could think. I'm happy that I got to look deeper into the mechanics because it helped me demystify what it's all about, and gave me a better idea of what is and isn't possible given the state of the field. It's really just maths and statistics at its core, but when you scale it up it can have massive potential, and we need to make sure we use it intelligently. 

7. Are there any emerging areas within AI that particularly excite you?
There is a whole area called Reinforcement Learning which looks into how AI agents can improve from their experience in their environments. It created huge breakthroughs in training computers to play games, like DeepMind's AlphaGo, or make stock market predictions, but it also has promising uses, such as robotics and self-driving cars. Reinforcement learning is still in its infancy, and researchers are looking into how you can get agents to have more nuanced objectives, or explore their environment efficiently before coming up with interesting actions on their own. One topic I found fascinating is multi-agent reinforcement learning, which looks at how you can have multiple agents behaving in the way that is best for them. It's really interesting to see how collaboration or competition can emerge from the problem setup.

8. What are your goals and ambitions now that you've completed your Master's degree?
I am looking for a role in machine learning or software engineering. I learned a lot of theory during my Master's and I want to keep improving by solving real-world problems and building things. In the long term, I want to stay in the field of AI, but I'm interested in learning more about other parts of computer science too. The switch from university to industry is also interesting to me. There's a lot more reliance on soft skills and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

9. What advice would you give to Halcyon students considering a similar path in AI or technology?
What's great about this field is that there are tons of resources available online. Pick a language, learn the basics, and try to apply what you've learned to some projects. I'm still a humble beginner and I try to stay curious, I look up concepts I've heard of on the internet and go down the rabbit hole. It's also important to stay in touch with the new developments. You can subscribe to daily newsletters (eg TLDR) and try to see who the big players are in the field you're interested in, what tools people use, and how policies can impact the industry. If you plan on going to university, make the most of it by joining societies, going to conferences or hackathons, and talking to professors and other experienced people. 

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