I'm a series of spacetime events called Ricardo (or Richard). I was born in Florida to Cuban and Argentine parents (español es mi lengua materna). I'm a high tech low-life, an outdoorsy great indoorsman; voice-activated, user-friendly, self-cleaning, and compostable. I'm a non-believer and an overachiever, laid-back but forward-thinking, a supercharged subversive, a hands-on footloose. I'm a relentless nerd and SJW.
My dream is to use artificial intelligence technology for social good. That may mean creating intelligent robots that do industrial scale reforestation, or maybe pedagogical chatbots. Ideally, I want to work at the intersection of my passions: learning, teaching, AI, sharing, creating, community, nature, and making the world a better place.
I am currently a master's student in Data Science at New College of Florida. Previously, I have done research at various universities – for a full list of peer-reviewed publications and projects, see my CV. I have many scientific interests: computational neuroscience, neural networks, cell biology, astronomy, cryptography, and more. For personal projects, check out my projects page.
After graduating in 2011, I bought a 1-way ticket to China. I spent the next 4 years hitchhiking, backpacking, and bicycling around the world-- as of 2017, I've been to 26 countries. Lesson learned: I'm really good at being frugal!
At the moment, I've quit the nomadic lifestyle to persue a master's in data science and to build a tiny home.
I am involved in various social justice causes. To name a few: racial justice, economic justice, climate change, freedom of the press, anti-surveillance, institutional transparency & open goverment, reproductive rights, the open source movement & copyleft, election reform, community resilience, and much more!
I am also a fine-art and landscape photographer. Some of my works were acquired by the Sir James Wallace Arts Trust and are currently in circulation in various public spaces in New Zealand. Check out my Flickr at the bottom of this page.