We never tire of mentioning how instrumental our people are to our success—because it is so incredibly true. Everything we have achieved and continue to do at Intelligencia AI and in the industry is because of our dedicated, intelligent, motivated professionals who tackle challenges and spot areas of opportunity every day with enthusiasm, creativity and the dogged determination needed to raise the bar.
But our people are more than just senior developers, customer experience experts or machine learning gurus; they are exceptional, unique and interesting individuals we want you to get to know.
Throughout our “Day in the Life” blog series, we’ll introduce you to our global team and introduce you to the intelligence – our people – behind Intelligencia AI.
Our first profile is with Senior Data Scientist & Bioinformatician Agamemnon Krasoulis. Like many others, Agamemnon discovered Intelligencia AI and his role through word-of-mouth. Connect with him on LinkedIn and read the Q&A below to learn more.
When did you start at Intelligencia AI? And how did you find out about the company and role? It all began a couple of years ago when I was introduced to Gerry Liaropoulos, the Director of Data Science and Bioinformatics, through a mutual friend. During the fall of 2023, we met up for dinner. At the time, I had already been familiar with Intelligencia AI for 3-4 years. I shared with Gerry that I had recently left my previous position and sought new opportunities. It was really good timing because there was an open position as a data scientist – bioinformatician at Intelligencia AI, and he suggested that I apply for the position. So I did, and the rest is history!
What inspired you to say “yes” to your first/current role at Intelligencia AI? There were four core reasons why I accepted the role at Intelligencia AI.
Interest in the Biotech Space. I am incredibly interested in the biotech space, especially drug discovery. Although my PhD was focused more on biomedical engineering–specifically upper-limb prosthetics–I have worked in AI drug discovery for nearly four years now, and what Intelligencia AI does in drug development aligns with my professional and personal interests.
Company Focus. My prior experience has revolved around modeling chemical structures like small molecules and proteins. Although the company is focused on predicting outcomes in clinical trials using historical data, we are currently moving towards incorporating aspects of pre-clinical drug development into our algorithms. Therefore, it made perfect sense to join forces with the company to enhance our platform capabilities and further boost the predictive performance of our models.
Belief in the Cause. I strongly believe in what we do and stand for here at Intelligencia AI. Our vision of pioneering the advancement of AI in drug development to support bringing groundbreaking therapies to market that will transform lives resonates with me. This is also one of the main reasons I have been working in drug discovery and, more generally, in biotechnology and medicine.
Company Work Culture. One of the most important reasons I accepted the position was the company’s work culture. I highly value this, especially when compared to negative working environments I have experienced in the past. The company creates a sense of belonging, and employees feel respected and valued as professionals and individuals. Through my interactions with the team members during my interview process and when visiting the Athens office, I was left with an amazing impression of how wonderful the company’s work culture is, which, of course, was later confirmed when I joined the company!
Can you share a bit more about your role and what a typical workday looks like?As a data scientist and bioinformatician at Intelligencia AI, I combine my expertise in analyzing biological and chemical data with computational modeling techniques. In other words, I help create statistical models that aim to learn the rules of biology and chemistry from data. These models can be later used to perform informative predictions relevant to drug discovery pipelines.
My role involves reviewing the scientific literature, writing code, manipulating and visualizing data, and experimenting with machine learning models. My days start early, and I use this quiet time to write code, look over data, and make models that predict specific drugs’ properties. Then, in the afternoon, I typically have meetings with the data science team or one-on-one sessions with other members of the bioinformatics team, where we exchange ideas and discuss the progress of various tasks.
What is the most rewarding part of your role? The most rewarding part of my role as a data scientist is having the opportunity to build and evaluate models that contribute to drug development, such as predicting drug properties and forecasting the outcome of immunotherapy treatment on cancer patients. I am excited to be involved in this industry and translate what we do into the real world to make a positive impact.
Which one of our core company values resonates with you the most? The core company value that stands out to me is “being humble.” I feel this value encompasses and sets the foundation for all our company’s core values. When one is humble, they care for themselves, the people around them, and the world. Being humble also enables one to acknowledge their own limitations, which can help one improve in the long run and ultimately raise the bar.
What advice would you give to your younger self? I would tell my younger self always to do things the hard way. This means that whenever you want to achieve something, you should dig deeply into it and understand its purpose and the associated challenges. Don’t cut corners or take the easy way out.
Our jobs and titles are just a small part of who we are. Tell us more about yourself outside of your work life.
1. What is your favorite quote?: “I know that I know nothing.” Greek philosopher Socrates
2. If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?: Pizza
3. Last place you traveled to? Dream destination?: Guatemala and Belize in Central America were the last places I visited. My dream destination is Indonesia.
4. Who would you want to have dinner with? They can be living or deceased, fictional or real, famous or ordinary: My favorite Greek composer, Manos Hadjidakis.
5. Movie you can watch on repeat?: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Directed by the Cohen brothers.
How do you enjoy spending your time when you are not at work? I spend my free time making music and exploring the outdoors, both mountains and the aquatic world. Scuba diving is my most recent hobby. I have been fascinated by the ocean for as long as I can remember. I decided to transition from snorkeling to scuba diving, and I haven’t looked back since. My favorite parts about scuba diving are the quietness and peace of the bottom of the sea and the colorful underwater scenery. My favorite scuba dive spots are the Great Blue Hole in Belize and the nearby Lighthouse Reef. My dream scuba dive spot would be the Red Sea in Egypt and Indonesia.
Learn more about Intelligencia AI and career opportunities, and keep tabs on us by following us on LinkedIn.