I'm a mathematician working in research and teaching. I have a bunch of diverse interests that I like to learn /explore more about in my spare time. Those interests include things such as philosophy, art, professional wrestling, autism, AI, music/concerts, etc. I like nature and going on hikes, but haven't been able to do much of that lately.

Here is my academic website, which also displays some of my art: https://sites.google.com/view/irfan-alam/

A significant portion of my references are from when I hosted people in Baton Rouge (where I went to graduate school), or when I traveled around that time. Living in Philadelphia for the last couple of years. Originally from India.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It seems like a great way to meet people with similar interests from all over the world.

Interests

Music, movies, radiohead, alternative rock, indie rock, mathematics, Philosophy, Indian food, live music, music festivals, video games

• arts
• photography
• music
• hiking
• anthropology
• mathematics
• philosophy
• psychology
• sociology
• art
• nature
• social justice
• veganism
• autism
• neurodiversity
• history and culture

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:

There are too many bands to list, though I do not actively listen to music as much as I used to in the past. Some of my favorite genres include Alternative Rock/Metal, Progressive Rock/Metal, Indie Rock/Pop, Dream Pop, Post-Hardcore, Acoustic/Folk, and Indian/Pakistani rock. Some of my favorite bands/musicians include but are not limited to: Radiohead, Nirvana, Damien Rice, Corey Taylor, Muse, Falling in Reverse, Blue October, Kevin Devine, Steven Wilson, 30 Seconds to Mars, Manchester Orchestra, Holy Sons, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Umer Farooq, etc.

Movies:

I like well-made movies from most genres and often try to experiment with new stuff.

Some of my favorite movies include Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A Brilliant Young Mind, Lucia (Kannada movie), Oraalppokkam, Ex Machina, Donnie Darko, 1408, The Good Heart, etc.

Books:

Haven't read much lately (other than academic stuff).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Did a road trip through the national parks of Utah for a week at a time when I had just learnt driving, and this was the first time I ever drove without someone sitting by me! It felt crazy in the moment as I had never even driven on highways before and now I was going through hundreds of miles and sleeping in the car at nights. Had wonderful views of the night sky when camping outside in Utah.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach as well as learn (vegan) cooking.

Can teach some technical stuff such as math, from the perspective of someone doing it for their career.

Can also share a lot of good music suggestions and discuss about music (and other things I am interested in) in general.

Would like to learn the piano.

Would possibly like to learn many things that I don't know the names of yet....

Countries I’ve Visited

Germany, India, Nepal, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United States