From Argentina to Sundsvall – meet Dr. Luciano Martinez Rau, new post‑doc at STC

Mon 27 Mar 2023 12:18

Luciano Martinez Rau from Argentina arrived in Sundsvall in January. He is a new post-doc at STC and he will work in embedded machine learning, designing and evaluating multiple solutions for different projects.

A man with dark hair, colorful shirt with a brown sweater over it.

You just arrived in Sweden, what is your first impressions?

I moved to Sweden in January 2023 and so far, I’ve spent most of my time on campus.  Fortunately, I have not suffered from any culture shock up yet. I think it could be related to the fact that I previously lived in Germany, which is similar to Sweden in some respects, or at least more similar than my home country Argentina. Moreover, it is easy for me to communicate because almost all people talk English, and they are always willing to help me.

Of Sundsvall?

I’ve noticed that it is important to have a good balance between work and personal wellness in Sweden. Sundsvall seems to be a small city and I like that because the people tend to be more friendly and pleasant than in the bigger cities.

Of the campus?

One thing that has caught my attention is that I haven’t seen many students on the campus. This is related to the hybrid teaching modalities implemented since the pandemic occurred, but I still find it hard to get used to. Among other things, the design of the campus has caught my attention, that there are many buildings interconnected by tunnels. I find it also very interesting that the buildings have a break/dining room where staff can interact and get to know each other.

What is your background?

I obtained my electronic engineering degree in Argentina and did my doctoral studies in computer sciences working on a project to recognize the feeding behaviours and activities of grazing cattle using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and signal processing techniques. In my thesis, I developed algorithms for this project, which were implemented in embedded systems and microprocessors.

What is your area of interest?

My topics of interest are the design, implementation and validation of machine learning / artificial intelligence algorithms embedded in electronic devices. It requires work in feature engineering and explainable artificial intelligence. Other topics of interest for me are federated learning in electronic devices and on-line algorithms adjustment.

What is it that you are going to investigate as a postdoc?

I will work in embedded machine learning with Dr. Sebastian Bader and Prof. Bengt Oelmann, designing and evaluating multiple solutions for different projects. Depending on the project, we will be working with different parts of the process, for example collecting and analysing data, designing algorithms of low computational cost using signal processing and machine learning techniques, validating these algorithms in a computer, implement these algorithms in electronic devices and validate against the computer results and in the field.

Why did you choose Mid Sweden University?

As previously mentioned, the well-appreciated personal lifestyle is one of the reasons why I chose Mid Sweden University. One important deciding factor was the size and short age of the university, which implies more direct contact between people and departments. I also found it very good that the university encourages the employees to carry out sports and recreational activities. To tell the truth, the nature around the city also helped me choose Mid Sweden University.

What’s on your bucket list now that you live in Sundsvall?

I hope to quickly adapt to the new position and meet my goals. Besides that, I would like to meet both local and international people and to make new friends here. I also want to learn to speak a little Swedish.

I enjoy doing outdoor activities like running, biking, and hiking a lot. Therefore, I am waiting for the end of winter to discover the forest, lakes and nature and take many pictures.


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The page was updated 3/27/2023