Student Spotlight: Krithik Ramesh
Krithik Ramesh, a senior majoring in 6-4: Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making, stands in front of the RB 7, the Formula One racing car driven to multiple victories by Sebastian Vettel in 2011. The car is displayed at the Red Bull Racing Factory in in Milton Keynes, UK--"It was life-changing to see it in person," says Ramesh. Photo courtesy Krithik Ramesh. Today’s Student Spotlight focuses on Krithik Ramesh, a member of the class of 2025 majoring in 6-4, Artificial Intelligence and Decision-Making.
Tell us about your science hero or heroine.
My PI, Dr. Pardis Sabeti, has consistently been an inspiration of mine. Outside of her incredible accolades such as being TIME magazine’s “Person of the Year” for her efforts in fighting Ebola, she is genuinely the most empathetic, knowledgeable, and strong mentor anyone could ever ask for. While my interests lie in more computational pursuits, Pardis has helped me cultivate the skills to be a good researcher and an even better communicator, mentor, and person. Perfection is an impossible function, but I’d like to think that following in Pardis’s footsteps as a scientist and person is worth striving towards. It’s very rare that you get to work with your heroes, but I am incredibly fortunate that, because of MIT, I am able to work with the most influential person in my life.
What’s your favorite building or room within MIT, and what’s special about it to you?
I’ve come to love stealing a recitation room in building 2 after a long day of classes. There’s something deeply comforting about sitting in a room and blasting music out loud, (and most probably dancing awkwardly), while working out pset problems on a black board. Particularly in the spring, it’s nice to look out of a recitation room and watch the sunset on Killian court.
Tell us about your favorite game—it could be a computer game, a board game, a video game, a game you made up to make long car rides more interesting—anything!
Hands down my favorite game has to be Monopoly! When I was nine, my parents got me a collector’s edition Monopoly board for Christmas. When my grandfather would visit from India, we’d play for hours on end over the summer. Through tears I would ask him to make clearly unfavorable trades. As I grew older, I got really into the theory behind the game and watched videos on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations and learned optimal strategy (hint: the colors of the properties are kind of like a heatmap of the most landed on areas). To this day, I carry around the cowboy on a horse piece from that Monopoly set, as a reminder of the special times I had with my grandfather.
Are you a re-reader or a re-watcher—and if so, what are your comfort books, shows, or movies?
I hope this resonates with many people, but I genuinely think I have memorized every episode of The Office. I have truthfully lost count, but I would estimate that I have watched the show around 7 times over. Both in high school and early parts of college, I used to throw on an episode (okay multiple episodes) as entertaining background noise while I worked. I am also the proud owner of a Dunder Mifflin shirt 😄.
Tell me about one conversation that changed the trajectory of your life.
I spent a few months in New Zealand while attending the University of Auckland. There, I had a transformative conversation with Zak Devey, one of the most cheerful people I’ve ever met. His positivity was infectious, and we talked about everything from great coffee spots to the meaning of research. He shared his belief that a life well-lived is where “passion meets purpose.” Zak spoke about his family’s struggles with mental health and his dream of becoming a clinical psychologist, using his education to make a difference in his community. His background and advice fundamentally changed the way I looked at research. It instilled in me a great sense of duty to conduct research that starts with understanding the problems that affect disenfranchised communities and developing salient solutions devised by the application of theory — Mens et Manus.
If you had to teach a really in-depth class about one niche topic, what would you pick?
I’d love to teach a special subject in Lego Star Wars History. Over the years, with “adult” money, I’ve started amassing Lego Star Wars sets for projects during an IAP or semester break. While not-so-patiently waiting for my sets to arrive, I have watched YouTube reviews and consumed the Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Lego Star Wars, I am looking forward to teaching a deep dive course that combines Lego Star Wars sets with the rich lore of the Star Wars Universe.
Do you have a bucket list? If so, share one or two of the items on it!
Easy.
1. Take a selfie with a Quokka in Australia (recreate this photo specifically!)
2. See the Northern Lights in Iceland
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