The VIDA Member Community is an amazing group of individuals, small businesses, nonprofit organizations and remote workers from across industries, professions and neighborhoods.
In this post we are pleased to introduce you to Rajesh Venkatachalapathy, a Dedicated Desk member at VIDA Portland, former academic, and dad of two who is working on a new nonprofit organization that will provide amazing benefit to our community, city and world.
1. Tell us about your work:
These days, I am busy at work setting up my own research 501c3 non-profit with a focus on technology assessment and large-scale simulations of social systems. The non-profit’s first initiatives are going to be in two areas: (1) Technology Assessment of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning products in healthcare settings; and (2) Simulations of access to human services among vulnerable populations. In the future, I expect to expand to modeling large-scale social systems with an eye towards (1) applications to emergency preparedness, management and post-emergency recovery, and (2) building simulation platforms to study immediate, near-term and longer term infrastructure changes as societies prepare for consequences of climate change and emergence of new technologies.
2. What led you to this career?
I’ve been an academic drifter and scavenger of interesting ideas all my life, hopping from discipline to discipline, and in search of answers to my questions. Probably because I became institutionalized and addicted to academic life, I did not realize it sooner, but my most recent bureaucratic and organizational hassles I encountered while trying to execute my projects finally catalyzed my exit from academic life. In the intervening two years, I feel vindicated and relieved as I’ve come to the realization that my interests and projects never belonged in academia—or at least within current academic environment.
3. What are your passions– personal or professional?
I’ve been lucky in life as my professional and personal passions have complete overlap: For many years, I even managed to get universities and fellowship committees pay for my evolving interests. Now, I am hoping to do get grant agencies to do the same.
Over the last third of my life, I’ve found cooking an increasingly meditative experience. I enjoy cooking meals for family and friends. I especially enjoy the process of perfecting peasant stews/dishes from across cultures. I also enjoy watching movies in bulk—sometimes 3-4 movies a night. I have no taste, and genre or language barriers. (I’ve been known to watch obscure and unknown B horror movies to relax before bedtime!).
4. How does community play an important role in your life?
Like for many others here in our VIDA community, working here has been the best thing to happen to me, especially after the long protracted isolation of the pandemic. The friendliness and warmth of the people here is very addictive.
“I love humanity, it’s people I can’t stand.” or some version of it is what I used to say during my angry at everyone and everything misanthropic young days, without realizing the irony of being at the receiving end of generosity from a great many individuals.
These days I enjoy working around people, even as I stare into my inner void to think/learn/write stuff. It is actually more than that: I now actually enjoy working with people, helping others, receiving help from others, and relish the opportunity to be a cog or a nut or bolt that helps/fixes things so that they function better. For almost as long as I was at Portland State, my office HH207 used to be a place where anyone faculty and students alike used to stop by to get help, discuss interesting ideas, solve problems, or just have a fun conversation. If I can recreate a space with a similar genius loci, I will be content.
5. At VIDA, we are committed to help Make Life/Work… how do you find this for yourself?
Unfortunately, I have no work/life balance, and neither does my wife. But so far, we’ve somehow managed to cancel each other’s imbalance. In the last few years, the presence of little ones in our household seem to have provided us with additional stability, and so has the responsibilities that come with taking care of extended family. I will arrogantly use an Einstein quote here: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
WE ❤️ OUR MEMBERS!
VIDA is a coworking community designed to #MakeLifeWork for our members. With locations in Portland, Oregon and Beaverton, Oregon, we offer private offices, dedicated desks and open coworking, alongside highly curated onsite amenities and an amazing member community.