Interview with Oleksandr Lytvyn
Github: @letv3
Where are you based?
I am from Bratislava, Slovakia.
What do you do (i.e. studying, working, etc.)?
I am doing my PhD at the Slovak Technical University and work as a Data Engineer in a Financial Services domain.
What are your specialties (i.e. Python development, Javascript
development, community organization, etc.)?
I am a technical person more inclined towards Python development and data processing. Recently, I have been enthusiastic about Machine Learning as well as ML Operations and Deployment.
How and when did you originally come across OpenMined?
I discovered OpenMined during my master's studies while looking for a solution to preserve privacy within the machine learning lifecycle. At that time, Syft was transitioning from version 0.3.0 to 0.5.0.
What was the first thing you started working on within OpenMined?
I was excited about the integration of Syft with TF-Federated, but I found
incompatibilities in certain functions across the package versions. So, I decided to address this issue, and that became my first PR.
And what are you working on now?
Currently, I have paused my contributions for a while. However, as soon as my bandwidth allows, I would happily jump into implementing cool features in Syft.
What would you say to someone who wants to start contributing?
Check out the "Good First Issues" on GitHub. Otherwise, just start using Syft, and you will likely find things that can be improved, discuss it with maintainers, and code it yourself.
Please recommend one interesting book, podcast or resource to the OpenMined community.
First is “Shape Up,” which provides a new perspective on delivering things that matter without being stuck in agile ceremonials and meetings. Another is “Brave New World,” a novel about a dystopian world that has come instead of Orwell’s 1984; started recently, but already excited.