I'm 50% South African and 50% French. I spent my childhood in South East Asia (2 years in Singapore, 4 years in Philippines, 5 years in Vietnam, etc.). I went to university in Toronto, got a job after I graduated, and I'm currently applying to immigrate permanently to Canada. It's a country ideal for someone with a background as multicultural as mine.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm taking a 6 months holiday around the world while my Canadian permanent residency application gets processed. 7 years ago I went on a trip around the world and applied to study in Canada. I accepted an offer from the university of Toronto (while I was volunteering in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal) and moved to Canada. I did an honours bachelor degree in AI and then got hired as a research assistant in a geriatric hospital. I've spent the last 2 years doing many brain experiments on healthy controls, stroke patients and dementia patients (PPA). I'm still doing some research (mainly writing up our lab's findings for publication in neuroscience journals) as I'm travelling.

Interests

I'm pretty involved in neuroscience and artificial intelligence research. I'm interested in becoming a computational neuroscientist and applying computer programs to understand human brain function and, especially, dysfunction.
I'm buddhist. I'm a scuba diver. I like Japanese food, anime and 80s-90s video games.

• japanese food
• rugby
• neuroscience
• buddhism
• egyptology
• japanese culture
• retro gaming
• artificial intelligence

Music, Movies, and Books

My favourite band is Stereolab. I'm a huuuuge fan.
My favourite album is "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.
I'm not interested in movies at all. But I like watching good TV shows and Japanese anime.
My favourite book is "The Eight" by Katherine Neville.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Meeting amazing people around the around the world and having a positive and meaningful impact on their lives (eg. helping someone meet his future wife in Copenhagen, teaching young monks English in front of the Himalayas in my monastery in Kathmandu, or teaching and mentoring university students in Toronto).

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach/share my knowledge of neuroscience, cognitive science, AI, computer science, mathematics, statistics, signal processing, and other related areas. I can help students who are currently taking courses in these fields. I can teach computer programming.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Knowledge of neuroscience, cognitive science, AI, computer science, mathematics, statistics, signal processing, and other related areas.

A lifetime of travelling. I've lived in Canada for the past 7 years, which might not seem that long to most, but I've never, in my life, lived in any country longer than that.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, France, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Viet Nam