Yago Díez,

Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University (Yamagata, Japan)

I studied Mathematics and then did a PhD in another group at Girona university in Computational Geometry. I worked at ViCOROB as a PostDoc both in Computer Vision and Medical Imaging. In October 2015, I moved to Japan to join a Robotics project as an Assistant Professor in Tohoku University (Sendai), in November 2017 I changed to my current position in Yamagata University.

Can you tell us what do you do in your daily work?

I am part of a data science department that is being formed. Eventually I will divide my time fairly equally between teaching and research, but so far, the teaching has not started so I am doing lots of research and studying Japanese.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? (in professional terms)

I honestly have no idea. If everything goes well I can stay at my current job (which I like a lot) for as much as I want to, but there are other issues to consider (mostly family related). I hope in 10 years’ time I will have a job that I enjoy as much as the one I did at ViCOROB or the one I am doing now.

What do you remember the most of your old times in ViCOROB?

I have fond memories of mostly everyone I worked with there (that is why some of you keep getting my very long emails trying to get you to work with me in yet another paper). Perhaps the best thing I learned at ViCOROB is the will that if you know what you want to do and keep working and looking for ways to do, it in the end, you will get there.

Would you like to give any tip to current students?

Research is not for everyone, but it is a beautiful field. If you really enjoy it, keep at it and your efforts will be rewarded.