About Me

Nice to meet you! My name is Julia Wąsala. The strange a is a Polish letter that is pronounced a bit like the French en.

My background is in Astronomy, but I fell in love with coding so decided to switch to Computer Science instead. Now, instead of looking out into space, I gaze down at the Earth.

I'm a PhD student at Leiden University in the Netherlands. My research topic is Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) for Earth Observation (EO). I think collaboration between the two fields is essential for discovering ML solutions to EO problems that impact our health and environment. EO scientists know all the nuances of the data and applications and know which problems are relevant for us to solve. Computer scientists have experience with finding general solutions and looking at the bigger picture. Together, we can create sustainable, data-driven solutions that effectively use the petabytes of data about our Earth.

I'm a part of the ADA research group at the Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) at Leiden University. Simultaneously, I also work with the amazing atmospheric scientists from the Dutch national institute for space research (SRON). My research is also supported by the ESA Phi-Lab, and the TAILOR project.

In my research I focus on applying AutoML to real-life EO problems. I work with SRON to support their work in monitoring atmospheric methane and discover ways to use techniques like deep learning in complex scenarios.

I have a passion for Science Communication: AI techniques should be accessible for domain experts. I also write about science and mental health, and tips for "PhD-ing" more effectively. Check out my blog to learn more. Sharing my knowledge and experiences to help other people is a major motivator for me. My goal is to strengthen the bonds between the EO and ML communities and spark meaningful interaction and collaboration.

In general, I like creating things. I love coding: it's like LEGO for the mind. But when I'm done staring at screens for the day, I like to draw or paint. In the mornings you can often find me at the gym, or reading a book with a cup of tea. Also, I really like cooking wholesome meals from scratch.

Learning new things gives me a lot of energy. I find joy in developing my communication skills: writing, presenting, even making visualisations. I dream about writing a book someday.