Right. So um, Welcome. Hello. Welcome to hearing your future, so, In this interview, I want to just catch up with you here a little bit more about your story. So, And let's start with um what's your name and where'd you come? So my full name is a bit of a mouth so I usually go by bonjour from Bulgaria.
I was born in Wagner the seaside even though I'm never gonna have to swim. Oh really. So um I kind of studied in mathematical high school. I think there was a very big kind of not pressure, but it was very big influence on, like stem related engineering stuff. So, definitely, I think computer science was a big one.
So yeah, it's kind of it and what was it? And can you can you pinpoint a moment when you just sort of, or your first experience of computing? That's perhaps really interesting in studying and universities obviously doing lots of maths and that's probably helped. But was there was there a moment when you Series of moments when, yeah, you know, you start to get interested in Computing.
Yeah, so um, I feel like lots of people have, you know, a bit of uglier stories since childhood. Mine was about 10th grade so it's not as if, you know, very, very young. But I do think my high school teachings were just wonderful. I mean, they were very, very encouraging and I think, my first program, like was C plus plus, which is a bit of a, it's a bit of a tough first time.
But I do think, uh, seeing how we were using this very state. I don't remember this, the going software, I remember after I used that was like, okay, I think it's pretty fun and I wanna I wanna see how how far I can take this. So I think that was maybe the focus moment, so that was 10th grade.
So, we're talking aged about 10, no 16. Um, and that was sort of when you thought, actually this is the spark. Yeah. Okay.
Yes, to study. A piercing computer science. How was it arriving here from from Bulgaria? Was it as you expected? It was, it was a bit of a, I mean, because of lockdown, it was, I think tougher than I expected, right? Um, I think I remember, I the Uber just left me at campus and I was like, oh, I don't know where to go now, because I lived in Battlefield first year, uh, but yeah, lockdown was a bit tough but I do still still think that, uh, they have a nice experience first year.
Everything was online. Lots of people. Lots of bulgarians. I think, went back to Bulgaria during that time, but I decided to stay. So thank you remotely. Yeah, but I suppose this was in the lockdown. So you were You weren't able to get out as much as you might not really.
Yeah. Yeah, but there were lots of like online activities. Like there was Discord. There was Zoom. There was, you know, I did have still, I still had contact with other Cox meets, just not in person. Yeah, okay, good. And then, um, So if we fast forward into second year, I guess in your second year, you'd started looking for thinking about work.
Yeah. Can you explain how how that happened? Of course we started. I heard about so imago I heard about it pretty ugly on, but I hadn't I think applied, uh, first year, so, I but Imago was my first professional kind of experience the student company with Suzanne. Uh, and that was, that was a really enjoyable.
We made a game kind of Minecraft-esque inspired. This kind of moment of you know using for example gitlab in a more professional setting, there was more Source control working in a team with other software Engineers even though we were students like Foxy second years But yeah, no, I applied the post was really simple and yeah, I really enjoyed it in the end.
Okay. Um, um, right. Okay. So, um, We're in. So we're coming to the end of the second year, so you've done that. You spent a summer working for the student software company. Yes. Um, and then what happened after that. So, uh, the Imago was during the second year, like, oh, so you were part-time.
It wasn't that? Yeah. So, it was about three or four months maybe. Yeah, right. Okay. And then the summer, uh, I worked in Nagoy. So I was, uh, I mean, it says, the East sector assistant, even though I feel like now hearing the use of the system that sounds a bit more fancy, uh, but I worked in University of Oslo, right?
Um, so I contacted my So Uly settler. I basically asked her if she has any opportunities for me in the summer, right? I learnt that asking really gets you what you want. Definitely don't ask you don't get it. It really is. So she basically connected me to this one postdoc that used to do a PhD with her, right?
Right. And he, uh, was in Norway then and I went there, I lived there for two months and I worked with him on a really cool, kind of software engineer graph-based project, right? So yeah. So, A different experience to get there. So we've gone from Bulgaria to UK to Norway back to back to UK again, and you did a when you came back, you guess you started a placement.
Yes. So, could you describe a little bit how that came about? Of course. Yeah. So I I actually applied for the placement, very early on, I applied for it in November of second year, right? And it started September of, you know, that actual placement here. So I applied so early on, I kind of forgot about that.
Everyone else is also applying. They were kind of stressed about and I was like, I'm okay I have my placement sorted. So I went to September. Uh, the company is called Gonzagas. I basically worked in their app development team. Uh, I really enjoyed it. I think lots of people on their placement.
They get a very kind of maybe specialised experience of front end or backend or maybe something more data management. Um, I was more of, you know, everything a little bit everything and I really enjoyed that. Yeah I was I I like to say it's like was it was like a full stack experience even though you know, full stack
Okay, so I was contrast. So they do. How would you describe what cancerous do as a company? They, so they are mainly, they work with kind of membership based organisations. So, for example, in the UK, especially, there's lots of associations or organisations with people with different specialisation. So, I think one of the most famous one ICW, so that's like an Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Uh, and so, uh, cantagas basically provides apps websites. Kind of membership based like Community Management. Um, Much experience with any of that really especially with apps. No, but it was it was it was really interesting to see how um kind of a professional because beforehand it was only internships, right?
So this is like a nine to five. You go in the office. You work. Yeah. So this was uh so this is where lockdowns were out of lockdown now. Yeah. Everyone's back in the office. Yeah. Full time. And you're doing nine to five and uh yeah in a real office in central Manchester.
Yes. Right next to Crime Market. So yeah. So that was it you spent a year doing that and you came back for your So this would have been As at this time last year. So 20 20, 23 yeah, 2023. So September 2023. So you came back um and you you started your final year.
Yes. Uh so can you tell us a little bit about your final year project? You worked on, of course. Yeah. Um so the way I began my final year project when I have to explain to people was a brand that was like grammarly. But for Bulgarian, right? Because like, grammarly, like spell, checking grammar, checking that's kind of what I wanted to do with my final year project.
So because I've worked as a translator before and I noticed that there just isn't a lot of tools. You could use to spell check or grammar, check your text invoking so that was kind of my focus and there was also a bit of a I guess, a research-based interest.
Uh my supervisor was Ariza, she's absolutely wonderful academic and she really taught me how to you know um,
So yeah. So I made kind of an UI and it's very similar to grammarly. I would say but in football game, So tools like grammarly. I, I guess they. They have a bias in that they tend to focus on. Certain languages right? Yes. So it's only English. Grammarly. Like the product is only for English?
Yeah, unfortunately, yeah. Okay. Right. Okay, so, um, were there. So what sort of in in all those different? We've done you've got a great range of experience um, there with, what's all the main? What were the main obstacles that you faced in the project? And how did you overcome it for the project?
There was definitely kind of maybe lack of resources. I mean I feel like there wasn't enough established Solutions because that was the big motivation for the project, right? But the downside of that is you don't really have anything to compare yourself against. So it was kind of like I was standing test, the Waters of what I could be doing and what's already out there.
Uh, which kind of allowed me to kind of make my own solution, uh, but trying to compare, I mean, for example, I had to compare myself to like regression software, for example, because they're kind of similar, not the same, but still, it was the closest I can get you really.
So trying to see what I could do with the two with the tools. I'm giving given that they were very limited. I think that was my biggest obstacle. So what sort of benchmarks you use for? What's the word? Assessing or evaluating how good the tool is. So in natural language processing, there's like there's kind of two sides to it, I guess there's like a quantitative and a qualitative.
So quantitative wise I went for, like, metrics, so it's as easy as counting, the correct words to the incorrect. Those that was pretty easy. Um, and there was also kind of a qualitative aspect where I made a Segway. I asked lots of my friends, lots of people on LinkedIn.
Like, I sent that to everyone, really my mum and my dad did it. I just compare different Corrections in Bulgarian, but it was only from native Pokemon speakers. Because obviously, right? You gotta see how fluent how read the book, how correct? Yeah. Um, Yeah. Okay, great. Um, so um, Coming back to.
Uh, final, you know, you're actually so you well you graduated haven't you before you? Not graduated yet but you you set your last exam you just got your results. Congratulations, thank you. And uh, you've actually, I think you've coded on doing some work with Riza, could you say a little bit more about that?
Of course. Yeah, so our reason I will be collaborating so this summer on, uh, BTS kind of software. So University policies are obviously really important but they're kind of scattered sadly and it's difficult to get information. You need, sometimes the student ends in as a staff really. So, uh, we have this idea of making a chatbot uh, that is fed all the inability policies and you can just ask a question and it's supposed to give you an answer.
The documents has been kind of fed, so kind of send you the answer summarised and also a link to. Okay. You can read about this here and it's supposed to be, it's supposed to be really kind of, um, Know why it's not only for our faculty. It's for the whole industry, really.
But as an MVP, maybe it would just be computer science for now. Yeah, yeah. But that's that's kind of the core idea of it two. I mean, what do you do about? Sort of hallucination? Probably sort of, you know, because you could have it making up policy. Yeah. Well, the university says you should do this and actually it's chat.
Gpt says you should do complete nonsense. Yeah. Um, I mean that's kind of why we need the actual policies in there in the beginning and it would send a link. So if if you were, you know, doubtful of, you know, this doesn't really sound right you would go on then and see, oh, this PDS.
Is this? Now I'm kind of more sure of The credibility, right, for me, just show your working. Basically, this is how I came to this answer. I guess that must be quite hard to do. Yeah, I mean, I don't to be honest, I don't have as much as experience in it because my project was focused on so grammar, correction, right?
So it's a completely different kind of field. Uh,
And there's lots of materials online for him. So right? Yeah. Are you using any sort of reasoning in that or is it just a purely? Sort of statistical. So there is a bit of a reasoning I would say but it's more uh, summarisation of information that's already there. So it's not like you know, you kind of have from point A to BHC.
It's more of the information is there. We just need to extract it. Yeah, in a readable way. Yeah. Um and you've got a you've all you've yeah you're you're graduating next week. Yeah, actually. And you've you've got a job to follow on to say a little bit about where you're headed to after graduation.
So, end of August, I'll be starting as a graduate AI engineer at the equals AI. So it's an AI startup in jeansgate. They do really cool stuff. They're kind of focused on, um, the medical domain, uh, but with AI, so kind of use cases for, for their products would be, maybe a digital Avatar that training GPS can use to, like, of patients, to kind of alleviate the pressure of, you know, being a GP Avatars.
Right. Okay. And that's is it Max. Um, started the company. Yeah, so it's two, it's two. Founders Source cotton. Um, right? Think they maxed it as PhD here? Yeah, I think he worked in the union. I think. Yeah, he was a research but I think with Corinne, Yeah. Um, okay good.
So that's exciting. Yeah. And I've learnt something different again. Yeah no. It's kind of been all over the place but I really enjoyed it. It's like a daybox experience. Well, we wish you luck. Thank you. Good luck with that. So, there's a few questions to follow up here at the end.
So these are First one is minority Report. So ask if people are happy to talk about, if you're a member of a minority group or an underrepresented group, What could employers do? And because you've experienced lots of different employers along the way, but also the university doing making The workplace and the campus more welcoming and inclusive to people from the all minority group.
Yeah. So in terms of minority groups, I am a member of the LGBT community. I think that's maybe more underrepresented in stem. I think one thing I've noticed that really works for LGBT people is just, you know, the sense of community. So like in contacts, for example, there was a kind of a LGBT, uh, Colleagues the warrior LGBT and that was really fun because it's like, oh, you know, you don't know these people, but, you know, from now you have something in common.
Yeah, you can talk about them and talk with them. So It's really fun. I'm also Bulgarian. So being Eastern European after brexit. You know, not many new Bulgarian students. Sadly, But yeah. No, I don't feel like I've been discriminated against or anything like that. Uh I feel definitely a sense of community is the thing that goes, you know, a long way.
Yeah, such groups good. All right. Okay. So the uh, the next question is your, you're the VC I want you to imagine that, uh, instead of this, we have a new Vice Chancellor. It started he's already started actually I want you to imagine that you've got the job instead, okay?
Um, what would you do? Uh, if you're a VC to improve the teaching and the learning that goes on the University of Manchester across, not just in computer science, perhaps across. If you've got friends who've done different degree programs and you've probably spoken to them What would you do?
So I I think maybe my biggest, my biggest point would be a gardening maybe, uh, feedback of work so like courseworks, uh, and maybe even formative exercises, I've noticed. Sometimes because of, you know, there's different reasons for it, but sometimes feed feedbacks, get pushed back for students. If there was a way to ensure that feedback was maybe within two to three weeks after submission, Definitely Implement that in a heartbeat.
I think I think that's that's that's something big and I feel is I mean feedback is the only way a student can really develop and grow, you know? Yeah. So I think that's a big one. Yeah. Okay, that's a good answer. Um, then the next question is Ask all guests, come on the show, right?
So recommend a tune, a podcast, a book. And a film. So let's start with the, with a piece of music. Is there a piece of music that you recommend people? Listen to perhaps it's important to you. Yeah, I mean something to you. I'm trying to think I think this year has been kind of a year of just discovering of new music.
I've started looking Turkish so I decided I should listen to Turkish music, right? So there's this one, Turkish performer tarkan. He is absolutely wonderful. He sings about under quite that. Love a lot but he sings about it in a really fun way. So it's really refreshing. I enjoy it.
Is looking to learn Turkish. Listening to Turkish music is very like. Yeah, I think I can remember I didn't go to the ball this year but last year I think I remember hearing some Bulgarian music. Come on. Yeah. Okay. What was that music? Because I just remember the Bulgarian Community going absolutely Bonkers.
What's this music? Fantastic. Yeah, I know. It was lovely. I think it was, it was me and your Bible. Actually. I think you've done an episode with him as well. And we're talking about how it'd be wonderful if we had like a Bulgarian moment here. And when he asked the DJ and at Focus, he was in no a bit hesitant, but then he put it on.
As is this called? The song called centre paper. This is, this is a very kind of famous and people loved it. I remember it was such a moment. It was at the end as well as everyone, you know. The energy was a bit low and then everyone just burned back up.
Yeah. Yeah, the place suddenly became alive. It was absolutely. Yeah. And not just Bulgarian. Everyone was his fantastic music. Yeah, so that's good. So we are we've actually snuck two Tunes onto the playlist. Oh yes. Um, the other one is so one podcast, you may not may or may not listen to the radio podcast much but are there any
Into an audiobook and everything that you'd recommend that you've listened to a book or a show that you'd recommend listeners, listen to. So, in terms of podcast, I don't usually listen to them. I feel like they want to listen to the most. It's called the basement yard. It's like with these two guys and they just kind of talk about the recent events but they do it in like in a funny way.
Like, the humour is very close to mine. I usually put it up when I'm cooking or something. Right? And I just have a laugh. They're just really fun. Basement yard. Yeah, good. Um, Book is there a book that you'd? So I think I really enjoy like, like modern Mystery like kind of teams.
So, I think the last modernistic thing I got It's called The Taxi marketer Club, right? It's like set in a retirement home and these other people, you know, saw a mystery. It was, it was, it was very chuggling. It was, I, I didn't have High Hopes for it at first, to be fair, but then I read it and I really enjoyed it.
So I'm really rich. Yes. Yeah. Okay, yeah. That sounds good. He has like, there's like, a whole like several books. Yeah. Yeah. And the last one was one film, and one film that you recommend doesn't have to be, could be something contemporary or something, further back? Yeah. I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna continue on the marketing mystery, kind of team, I really enjoy.
Um, there's this, there's this new one haunting in Venice. It's like adapted from Agatha Christie's, like, mother mystery books. It's like a whole series. Again, it's like Express and it's again, like, you put, like, 10 people in a room once, you know, bad who done it kind of thing.
I really enjoyed that. So I think that's hoping a puzzle. Yes.
In the physics department has invented a time travel machine. Oh perfect. They show me that it works. Okay, give you this time machine and you can travel back in time, 2020, when you arrived here in that Uber taxi, all right. And dumped on campus in the middle of the pandemic.
What advice would you give your former self? All right, so I think, um, The biggest advice, maybe would be Oh, not to, maybe self-reject self-sabotage yourself, we're looking for opportunities. I think, especially Focusing. I remember I had this moment where I'll see an opportunity online like especially I think there was there's this very special Google opportunity for Foster six step programming.
Yes, I remember seeing it first year and I told myself, ah, I can't apply to this. Like I don't have the experience, they wouldn't accept me and I'll just tell myself that I should just go forget and this goes for all opportunities like even if you're not sure like how you're gonna do it or the logistics or like where you might even live?
Like you're gonna figure it out. If it's something you want to do you definitely should go for it. I feel like especially people are gonna be rejecting you so much so if you're rejecting yourself as well that's just an added filter I think. Yeah. Just self-sabotage. I think that's that's good advice.
I know step programs are that particular step program is very competitive. It used. Yeah you seem to be it used to be for first years but now it's got so competitive that most people who are getting it a second year.
Textures. But um, yeah, I mean if it's like, I know it's a bit of a cliche, but if you don't buy a lottery ticket, you can't exactly. Right. That's the point. Yeah, yeah. Okay, good, lovely. Well, um, Thank you for coming to the show. Thank you for having me.
We look forward to graduation next week and are you bringing your family along? Yes. So for both my parents. Yes, just the two tickets. Yeah, we'll see them. And um good luck with your future recourse. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Um, I I Heard a Voice halfway through.
The last thing I want to ask you is um, is it all right? When I publish it to put it on LinkedIn. Absolutely. And then at, you know, to name check you and say, you know, I've got episode I was thinking of making a LinkedIn post anyways. Yeah, just mix them my job.
So I tend to do it. I I haven't got a good system for creating transcripts yet because it takes ages to create even with the even with the auto transcript. You