An AI researcher, Professor and Consultant.
Contact Me
Let's Connect
Hello! You’ve reached this page because you’re interested in contacting me. Thank you for your kind interest! This page provides useful information on how to get in touch most effectively.
It is strongly recommended that you read this page first before contacting me! Please avoid sending emails to my EPFL email address, which is flooded; please try to reach out to me via email if possible.
Follow me on social media for updates on PhD, internships, and postdoc positions in my lab.
Twitter (or X): @caglarml
Bluesky: @caglarai.bsky.social
How to get in touch?
In nearly all instances, it is optimal to contact me via email: ca9lar at gmail.
Please avoid contacting me via LinkedIn, X, or other social networks. I do not find such networks easy for direct communication, and in many cases, I check them very rarely. When I do see a message, I tend to reply by asking for an email anyway.
It used to be the case that I could carefully reply to every non-spam email I received. Unfortunately, in recent times, it has become apparent that this is unsustainable due to the load of commitments I am facing. I realized a lot of my time goes into:
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answering many emails that all have a standard answer
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writing replies to emails to clarify unclear/missing key details
And I would like to optimize both cases as much as possible. In the below sections, I will outline some common reasons why you might want to reach out to me and the optimal action to take:
Collaboration requests
It’s great to hear you are potentially interested in collaborating! I am always happy to discuss possible interesting avenues for future research; however, I can only take on a few collaborations per year, and as a result, they would typically need to be strongly aligned with my research interests. Let me note that I will not be able to host you in my lab or allow you to use my lab's compute resources for the collaborations that I get into.
When writing your email, it would be very helpful if you make clear:
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What would the proposed research concern? It is OK if you do not have a clear idea of what we could explore together, but at the very least, make it clear which area of research you would like to contribute to.
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Why are you keen on conducting this research? Sometimes, this will be obvious, but still, it is useful to point out some of your relevant prior work and/or background. It is OK if you have no prior research experience, but it is important to demonstrate your vested interest in the area.
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Why would this research be well-aligned with my interests? Ideally, point out some of my previous papers or talks that you think would be particularly relevant to what you are exploring now.
It is likely helpful to consult my Google scholar while drafting this email. Keep in mind that some of my top-cited work may not be directly related to my current research interests.
If I accept the collaboration, it is very unlikely that I will be able to contribute by writing or checking code. For the vast majority of my recent collaborations, I primarily participated in meetings, helped steer the project forward and promote it, and co-wrote papers.
Talk invitations
Thank you so much for your interest! The value of research certainly diminishes without properly communicating it and empowering others to use it. Hence, I welcome any relevant talk opportunities.
In most cases, I aim to accept virtual talk invitations. I am also often happy to make the most reasonable arrangements to give talks in person (which I’ve found significantly more valuable).
When writing your email, it would be very helpful if you make clear:
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What is the context of the talk? Is it a university seminar, an invited talk for a conference/workshop event, a tutorial, or a podcast? Would it take place in person, and if so, where?
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Who is the intended audience? And, relatedly – if you have any additional ideas on what the optimal talk topics for this venue would be, please let me know.
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When would the talk ideally take place? Additionally, how much flexibility is allowed in terms of the scheduling?
It might be helpful to consult my updates page to get a feel for the topics I’ve presented in the past.
PhD and Postdoc applications
Firstly, I am honored that you are considering me as an advisor for your PhD or postdoc work! Unfortunately, I am not planning to hire a postdoc or PhD for 2025. I will update and announce it online once the conditions allow me to hire a postdoc or PhD. Follow me on Bluesky or Twitter (or X as it is now called) to keep an eye on the updates on this.
It is exciting that you are considering internships with me. Firstly, let me note that I can not accept remote internships, and getting a visa to Switzerland for an internship is hard and requires much work from my side and the internship candidates' side. Thus, I will be accepting interns on rare occasions unless you are an existing EPFL student or live in Switzerland. If you live abroad, consider the following ways for an internship:
This year, for 2025, unfortunately, I will not be accepting any interns.