Hi, I Am Saasha 👋

I build AI in the UK Government. Right now I’m working on the resilience side of AI sovereignty to keep the AI services civil servants rely on running. I previously built the AI Knowledge Hub at startup speed, launching an MVP in six weeks solo, then grew a team around it. I’ve also worked on the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard, and drew on my experience with AI in the energy sector to help design the Manchester Prize.

Before the civil service, I worked as an AI researcher on the reliable control of safety-critical systems, specifically autonomous vehicles and data centres. I did this across both industry and academia, publishing five papers and winning a best-paper award. This journey has taken me to Munich, Pisa, Cambridge, and London, where I am currently based. I have also had the chance to work as a contractor for an F1-related organisation putting reinforcement learning onto an autonomous race car (yep, Grand Prix F1, and no I did not get free tickets, much to my disappointment 🥲).

When I am not working, I am diving into new interests, whether through reading, writing, or coding. I cannot resist going down rabbit holes of curiosity, which, to be honest, makes introducing myself a bit tricky. But then I stumbled upon the term multipotentialite, and it felt like someone had made up that word just for me! I wrote about this inner restlessness at length recently in I Don’t Fit the Job Title.

While I would love to present a flawless version of myself online, it’s far from the truth. I will admit that I spend more time than I would like on Netflix, YouTube and the like. But hey, that definitely counts as ‘quality time with my partner’ 👀.

As cliché as it sounds, traveling is another big love of mine. I wrote about it a few years ago in For the Love of Travel and Research, and it’s still true. In 2023, my partner and I spent one week every month outside the UK, immersing ourselves in new cultures, tasting local food, and meeting new people. That rhythm didn’t survive the jump into my current role as building in government doesn’t leave much room for a week away every month. We still make it a point to indulge in weekend getaways every other month (I am currently updating this page over a glass of chilled white wine under the Tuscan sun).

The direction I see myself going in next is taking the leap to finally build something of my own. It’s a pull I’ve felt for years, through every version of this career — academia, industry, government. I’ve run out of reasons to keep putting it off. Whatever I build next needs to be mine.

I also want to keep writing. I’ve enjoyed writing on Substack and my blog, though inconsistently. I’ve also written a textbook, Introduction to Reinforcement Learning, for a German university, an experience I genuinely enjoyed. A proper, published book is still on the list.

Well, that was a lot about me! If any of this resonates, please reach out, whether for a collaboration, a casual chat, or even a coffee. ☕️