Neil studied Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh in the 2000s. At the time this was not a popular option; to the best of his recollection, only three universities in the UK offered degrees in the subject!

He found his way to APL due to a fascination with programming languages – not so much programming language development, but more the affordances that different languages provide and reasons why you’d choose one over another in various circumstances. His interest in APL remained for many years after his initial discovery of the language, nurtured by watching presentations and reading articles. Eventually, he found himself talking for two hours about APL with experienced APLer Kai Jaeger, who is a family friend. Neil subsequently tried solving some problems in APL, and the two struck up an email conversation. One day Kai sent Neil an email asking whether he knew JavaScript as Dyalog Ltd were recruiting for a JavaScript toolsmith – Neil did, and was interested in working for an APL company so that he could continue to feed his APL curiosity.

Although Neil is now mostly writing JavaScript to enable APL developers – he’s currently concentrating on eWC, but plans to also evolve Ride and other projects –  he’s also excited to be a member of the Tools Group with the potential to further enhance his APL skills.

Neil grew up in the UK, but he lives in his family’s hometown in Franconia (northern Bavaria). He decided to move to the Bavarian mountains almost exactly at the time that the Covid lockdown started, but managed to enjoy the snow anyway.

Outside APL, Neil considers his most surprising hobbies to be crochet and lock-picking. On one of his regular trips from Germany to the UK, he was taken to the side by border control for the dangerous crochet hooks he was carrying; eventually they let him through whilst congratulating him on his current project! He has not yet dared to travel with lockpicks…

Just to be different, Neil has a parrot called Pauli (pow-lee). This is a convenient conversation starter, if needed.

Follow

Martina started studying physics with the intention of specialising in Astrophysics. However, after her first linear algebra and analysis classes, she discovered that she found most enjoyment in the mathematical and theoretical aspects of physics. Following this discovery, she started a Master’s degree in statistical mechanics and computational physics, ultimately pursuing a PhD in computational materials science with a focus on the physics of complex systems.

While finishing her PhD, Martina decided to leave academia. During her search for a job she came across APL and was intrigued by all the maths-like symbols. She soon discovered that APL allowed her to apply mathematical thinking to coding in a new, clean, and logical way that complemented her attitude to solving problems following a theoretical approach. Following this discovery, she applied for a role with Dyalog Ltd.

Martina has a passion for exercising and the outdoors, and enjoys hiking and climbing. She like to spend her holidays travelling betweens huts on top of mountains or hiking along cliffs near the sea, trying to compensate for the lack of mountains in Denmark (where she is currently living).

When not doing sports, she also enjoys cooking, in particular carbohydrate-based dishes such as freshly made stuffed pasta, pizza and sourdough bread (according to the Italian stereotype, although fellow Italians might not be happy that she genuinely enjoys pineapple pizza!). She also devotes time to taking care of the 48 plants she has in her apartment, engaging in an endless war against all sort of bugs and plant diseases.

Follow

Karl had always imagined that he would spend his career in academia, as had many who know him. However, after becoming disenchanted with the whole university environment halfway through his Master’s degree, he sought a role outside academia and joined Dyalog Ltd. Although he’s only been here for a few months, he feels that he has already settled in well.

Karl was one of the few computer science students who actually enjoyed the courses on project management; he was also part of an even smaller minority who enjoyed writing mathematical proofs! He not only brings his mathematics and coding abilities with him, but also a fresh energy to the team.

Karl is a perfectionist, and often spends countless hours contemplating the right way to pick up a cup and otherwise trivial daily activities. This fits perfectly with how he has been mentored by our CTO, Morten, as every time he has shown Morten what he found to be a specifically beautiful APL expression, Morten has shown him five different ways to do the same thing, each of which is even prettier and has its own strength!

Even though the majority of Karl’s education has been in the natural sciences, he also enjoys many facets of the “softer” ones. He has a broad range of interests, and always enjoys hearing about what other people are working on – everything from quantum physics to anthropological studies contemplating the queerness of algae. His favorite read in 2023 was “Invisible Women“, a book disclosing the big data gaps within political minorities, especially women’s experiences in a world designed for men.

Karl is just as happy being an interested listener to a conversation as he is being the main speaker. He keeps a long list of projects he would love to work on if he someday had the time; for now, he spends his spare time playing board games, solving fun puzzles, staring at bodies of water, and hanging out with his friends and many siblings.

Follow

Mike recently joined Dyalog Ltd, bringing his experience in web and digital design.

Mike grew up in West London, and now lives by the sea in East Sussex. His background is in Recording Engineering, and he worked for a number of years as a front-of-house sound engineer and theatre stage manager. Having learnt the basics of HTML while at University, he started to develop websites as a hobby; it wasn’t long before he realised the hobby was the more rewarding pursuit.

Four years of web and digital design followed, based in London. Clients included many international companies and organisations such as Merial, The World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and The Pirbright Institute.

Mike then worked for ten years at a West Sussex-based web agency with a diverse mix of clients, from small local companies to brands such as BMW and Suzuki.

In 2013 Mike joined Optima Systems and immediately moved all design and branding work that was previously outsourced to be in-house. Optima System’s internal needs were a primary focus, supplemented with working on websites for many local companies and brands. One of the companies Mike worked with was Dyalog Ltd, so when he needed a new challenge he knew exactly who to speak to!

Mike is now our in-house resource for all marketing and graphical design efforts (social media images, banners, video thumbnails, and so on).

Follow

After graduating from the University of Portsmouth with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Abs started investigating IT roles. He wanted something that provided a challenge, working for a team that was passionate about what they do, and in which he could contribute to that effort through the software and IT abilities that he has accumulated; with Dyalog Ltd he found it! Abs was hurled into the world of APL, which was very different to the Python that he was used to. Although his role doesn’t involve much APL, he appreciates how compact APL solutions can be when wielded correctly. Armed with a fresh perspective and a helpful attitude, he joins our IT department hoping to maintain and improve the current IT infrastructure and provide technical solutions to anyone that needs it.

When Abs isn’t working, he can be found gaming, a hobby that started his fascination with computers and technology. He also loves to learn languages and experience different cultures through travelling, and is currently working on his spoken Japanese. However, his true passion lies within music, and he enjoys playing guitar, bass, and drums (whenever he can get his hands on them).

Follow

In pursuit of his dream to contribute to the development of a programming language professionally, Aarush started cold emailing companies that worked on them (there aren’t a lot, but a lot). One of the companies he contacted was Dyalog Ltd. Aarush initially joined us in January 2023 as a contractor, focusing on testing the primitives of the language with a new test suite, and in August he officially became a full-time member of the team.

Aarush’s interest in computers led him to a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India. Before joining Dyalog Ltd, Aarush explored various facets of web technologies and made significant contributions to projects like Haskell and Bitcoin. When not working professionally, he enjoys contributing to Open Source Software.

Expanding on his love for FOSS, he was selected for sponsored open-source programs like Google Summer of Code and Summer of Bitcoin while still pursuing his academic degree.

Beyond coding, Aarush finds joy in exploring Linux, programming languages, Bitcoin, and dreaming about new mechanical keyboards (he got one)! He also has a penchant for music, photography, F1 racing, and, perhaps most notably, travelling. The flexibility of remote work has allowed Aarush to explore new places and cultures. Due to his love for photography and spending money, he has recently also bought a 360 camera that he still cannot figure out how to turn into a useful webcam. 🙁

Aarush is known on the internet as sloorush or, as his friends call him, rush (pronounced like bush).

Follow