The scientific collaboration: Quanterall’s R&D Lab & The Institute for Advanced Physical Studies — Part 1
Interview with Stoyan Mishev: the beginning of IAPS
Stoyan Mishev is a researcher in the fields of fundamental physics, quantum mechanics, and machine learning. From 2004 to 2016 he worked at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. As of now, he is with the management team of the Institute for Advanced Physical Studies in Sofia and is a lecturer at New Bulgarian University.
How did life lead you to scientific research?
My interests have always led me to science and to the ways nature works. It so happened that I spend most of my time on problems related to nuclear structure and more recently on nuclear astrophysics and machine learning.
As a child, I was attracted to mathematics. I studied at the National High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in Sofia, where we also learned a good deal about physics, computers and algorithms. Then, I graduated from the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University with a degree in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics. My career path led me to JINR in Dubna, Russia where I defended my PhD work. Now I am in Bulgaria and focus on fundamental physics and selected topics in machine learning theory. I try to contribute to the success of the Institute for Advanced Physical Research (IAPS) and also to teach fundamental concepts in physics and develop analytical skills of my students at New Bulgarian University.
How did the Institute for Advanced Physical Studies come to life?
In 2014 we formed a networking group of like-minded scientists with similar interests, who are devoted to research in physics and computer science. That is how we created the Institute for Advanced Physical Research. Our main goal was and still is to produce solid results and discoveries in our fields of expertise.
We are now 13 scientists at IAPS and we try our best to form a lively scientific atmosphere in the Institute. This is a necessity if a team wants to stay updated and motivated to achieve significant breakthroughs in science. That’s why we put lots of effort to encourage dialogues on important topics of fundamental science and we consider the unavoidable administrative frame as subordinate and secondary to our main passion.
In order to fulfil our mission as a public institute, we are engaging the communities and sparking conversations. Our work involves research and publications of scientific papers, organisation of seminars, schools and conferences, informal activities and gatherings, visits and participation in events, lecturing, and more.
Several years ago we developed and started a research-focused Master’s level program together with New Bulgarian University titled “Knowledge Discovery and Big Data Analytics” which I can confidently say is now indeed one of the best programs in Machine Learning in our part of the world.
Could you tell us more about your work as a lecturer?
I give lectures in several courses in astrophysics and astronomy for non-physicists as well as advanced courses in machine learning. Both types of courses enjoy very talented and eager to learn students and many of our Master students see their future as researchers. My colleagues and I expose the material starting from the basics and we stick to the firm mathematical treatment of the concepts as much as possible. Self-driving cars, computer vision, generative algorithms and natural language algorithms are among the most interesting topics which attract our students. I am very glad that several of them devote a lot of time to investigating inherently hard topics such as the symmetry methods in physics and looking for adequate ways to incorporate them in the modern context.
What are IAPS’s short-term plans?
IAPS’s short-term plans include maintaining the healthy scientific climate around us as well as starting new projects in theoretical physics, machine learning and quantum computing. We plan to achieve this through a sustainable partnership with Quanterall and other suitable partners.
Tell us about the partnership with Quanterall?
Our partnership with Quanterall is multifaceted. We collaborate in organising events and seminars of the Institute, which as I mentioned earlier are invaluable to achieving our mission. Some of the reports presented at our seminars are targeted at a wider audience while others are more specific and excite mostly researchers.
As far as I know, Quanterall is gaining momentum towards innovations and we keep faith to extend our partnership in doing significant joint applied research projects, organising educational courses and mentoring programs as well as promoting important scientific discoveries.
What is your message to young people who have chosen to follow the path of science?
I used to think that they should be bolder, to develop outside their narrow field of knowledge — to get out of it and learn new concepts from different perspectives. To experiment, to try, to be proactive. Now that I have been in Bulgaria for some time, I have new observations on the community and I can add something new to this. I think that young people should not perceive the financial incentive as a primary factor in decision-making. Their life path should not be governed by money. The human being cannot and should not be moved by a single number. I see that doing serious and deep research is not for everyone as it is a hard and risky business and requires special personal qualities.
How does money affect research?
We can recall history to answer this question. It’s fascinating that some of the biggest discoveries have been made by people in exile, in prisons etc where the financial incentives are missing. History shows us periods of time when science was not funded and yet evolved.
Overfunding and poor financial management are not good for science. Money should be provided according to the needs — not more, neither less. Any funding must be reasonable and defended accordingly so that the money is managed wisely, by the right people. My personal opinion is that large scale projects follow a money-centred approach which conflicts with the processes leading to solid discoveries.
Which book do you recommend to your students?
I recommend “The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe” by Roger Penrose. The author is a Nobel laureate and his work is worth the read.
