About Me

Parsa Hosseinipour Rafsanjani

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), with coursework and research spanning mathematics and computational methods. During my studies, I was drawn to probability and statistics, which led me to collaborate on a research manuscript on mathematical statistics and a book on statistical inquiry.

Research Interests

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

My primary research interest lies at the intersection of statistics and molecular biology, with a focus on developing and analyzing computational tools for omics data. I believe that helping improve people’s health and making a true difference through biological fields is a great purpose one can pursue. That is why I am interested to work in the biomedical field, as it allows me to combine my passion for molecular and cell biology with the opportunity to contribute to medicine.

Mathematical Statistics

My research journey began with mathematical statistics, as I deeply value the theoretical underpinnings of data science. Statistics provides the foundation for data analysis and therefore a lot of sciences, which has its roots in mathematics, while encompassing a rich philosophy and sparking hot debates. I find it interesting that such an important field which deals with uncertainty was born out of mathematics, a stronghold of certainty!

Open-Source and GNU/Linux

Beyond academia, I'm a GNU/Linux enthusiast. I began using GNU/Linux in 2020, starting with Ubuntu before exploring other distributions like Fedora, Linux Mint and Pop!_OS. Having used Pop!_OS as my primary OS for several years, I transitioned to Arch Linux and have experienced no major issues so far.

My main motivation was to deepen my understanding of Linux. Arch has taught me what questions to ask when configuring my system for my workflow, and how little is actually needed to perform my computations. Unlike versioned distributions, Arch follows a rolling-release model (there’s just one Arch Linux, not Arch 1.0, Arch 2.0, etc.), which I see as one of its greatest strengths. The system is reliable, and thanks to excellent Arch and Arch-based forums, problems can usually be resolved quickly.

I also appreciate Arch’s philosophy: it’s entirely free to use without restrictions, and users have full control on choosing free or proprietary software for their system.

More broadly, I’m deeply interested in exploring and supporting open-source software and communities. Whenever possible, I try to minimize my reliance on large corporations. While I don’t oppose using well-made proprietary tools, I actively evaluate tech trends and company practices before deciding which ones to use.

Social Media and Online Activity

I generally try to avoid social media. I have no interest nor any reason to keep up with what is happening in the life of someone I met years ago and with whom I don't feel any connection now! I dislike the hollow, superficial connections of social media; I’d rather form deeper bonds with people and focus on self-development without obsessing over how I'm seen in the eyes of others. Also, I deliberately limit what I share online and refuse to contribute to companies with proven unethical behavior where feasible. That said, I use social media sparingly to connect with academics, follow scholarly discussions, stay informed on topics of interest, message others, and keep track of relevant announcements and events. That's my social media philosophy in a nutshell.

I removed my Facebook and Instagram accounts years ago, and I never felt like I needed to go back to them! As Seneca says:

Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.

I never used Twitter much, but the growth of Fediverse led me to try Mastodon, where I connected with many great academics—even landing an interview! While I still value Mastodon, I've since joined Bluesky as more researchers migrated there, and now follow most academic discussions on that platform.

I maintain a GitHub profile for programming and collaborative projects. I created a LinkedIn account solely out of professional necessity, though I've been mostly inactive there. Unlike Bluesky and Mastodon, the content on LinkedIn often feels shallow by comparison. It is, however, the first page that shows up in many search engines when someone searches for my name.

I have some other accounts as well, either real or pseudonymous, but I don’t share them publicly since they serve more personal or specialized purposes and don’t need to be listed here. While this may seem obvious, it's worth noting that any accounts using my name but not linked from this website may not be mine!