Undergrad Studies and the First Job

Like many teenagers, I was full of dreams about my future but had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I was 18. I always thought my dad was a great success, so I decided to go to university and study a similar field as my dad’s, i.e. geomatics and surveying (2006). Studying geomatics was fun, so, I started working as a land surveyor in the last year of my studies (2010). I had to carry one of those army-green cameras and walk around (quite a lot) and measure distances and elevations on land. Sometimes in the cities and streets, sometimes inside the buildings, and sometimes in nature and deserts. I did that job for some years and even during my master’s studies (2014). However, as I needed to always challenge myself and my abilities, I decided to do something that was not the same day in and day out.

Grad studies and the Next Job

Since I did not find my passion on land, I did my master’s in marine geodesy (2011) and decided to work as a marine surveyor or hydrographer in the sea! It was more fun and adventurous! I got to fly on a chopper (Helicopter), onboard offshore oil rigs, and sail with massive boats! I also did a lot of marine research. Images below show a gas platform on a calm day in the Persian Gulf (can you see the flare?) and one bathymetric image of an offshore gas platform (the four legs of the platform are visible in the middle, some pipeline or debris, and some holes that probably gas bubbles come out of them).

Moving to Academia

Well, working in the sea did not amuse me either. Besides, working in the oil industry was upsetting, seeing oil spill with the naked eye and ruining the sublime beauty of the sea was not fun at all. However, I realized that a bit of research activity that I had during that job was cool. So, I decided to do a PhD (2019). I liked water, but not as much as you find in the sea, maybe a lake was enough for me. So, hydrology became my topic, and as I like to go high, satellite remote sensing became my tool. It was on my very first flight to Stockholm that the high density of surface water bodies over Sweden attracted my attention. That visual inspection from the airplane’s window, I count as my first attempt at remote sensing of the Swedish lakes. Read about my PhD research here. What I like the most about writing scientific proposals, and applying for grants and funding is the competitive part of it, I feel like I am alive. I also get a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment when I do research for the good (saving the planet). I like to see the impact of my work on society and I strive to achieve meaningful and helpful results in my research. I love communication and being with people. You need to ask this from my colleagues and students. I have mentored master’s and junior Ph.D. students. According to them (both in the evaluation forms and in person), I am supportive of my colleagues and students and they feel comfortable turning to me to get help and advice. This feels so great that I can’t describe it.

Other Interests

I love comedies (standup and tv shows), and my all-time favorite comedians are Larry David and David Mitchell. I quote too way often from Seinfeld, Peep Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm! So, I get along well with those team members who respect wood!

I also love football (soccer), I even had a team in the Swedish amateur league (Korpen) for two seasons (2021-2022 & 2022-2023). Although we never came first, we had a good team.