Shawn Wadia

MD-PhD Candidate @ Duke-NUS
Decency, compassion, and integrity still matter.

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

Happy to announce the publication of some of my PhD research in JCI Insight!

https://t.co/SJ5jvY3sSI

At a time of growing anxiety surrounding artificial intelligence, I view this sort of experimental work as something deeply human. We meandered, we ran into dead ends – again and again – and dealt with frustration and disappointment. But we persevered, and the work is a testament to how science can yield interesting and unexpected results to those patient enough to unravel its mysteries.

I hope you enjoy reading the paper and building on our findings. I also hope to be fortunate enough to contribute more to the scientific literature in the years to come.

Many thanks to the people who contributed to this story and stuck with me and with the science all the way to this culmination.

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

@Nimbopill "True manliness is humane. It says, “We who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.” Its work is to protect those who cannot defend themselves; to stand between the tyrant and the slave, the oppressor and his victim."

- JF Clarke

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

@JZarif The true inheritors of that peerless civilization found refuge and renewal on India’s western seaboard. An Islamic theocracy cannot claim the mantle of the Achaemenids.

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

It’s heartening to see someone with your platform consistently advocate for an India that is decent, grounded, and confident.

Everything from your scathing rebuke of Laura Loomer’s bigotry to your posts celebrating festivals (across regional and religious divides) is genuinely endearing and hearkens back to a better, more gentle time.

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

This is a very incomplete list of Parsis who have struggled, fought, and in many cases laid down their lives in service of their country:

Bhikaiji Cama, Pherozeshah Mehta, Dadabhai Naoroji, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, Homi Sethna, Aspy Engineer, Jal Cursetji, Ardeshir Tarapore, Cyrus Addie Pithawalla, and Sam Manekshaw, among others.

It is a small community. But it has consistently contributed to the intellectual, civic, and military life of the nation.

That record invites reflection. It does not support narratives that seek to single out or malign the community.

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

@malpani This is a pretty reductive take on a complex history. Much of that land sits in charitable trusts that fund public institutions to this day.

Not sure what the goal is here - but do we really need more divisive narratives like this?

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

https://t.co/UoGy6ByAcS

Every community has its outliers. I can only speak from personal experience, but most Parsis I’ve encountered are guided by the enduring ethical principles of their faith and a sincere commitment to their country and community.

It is difficult to see the value in fostering animosity toward a microscopic community over grievances (real or perceived) from the distant past.

[Reza Pahlavi @PahlaviReza]

Zoroastrianism is intertwined with Iranian history and civilization. Yet today, like other religious groups, Zoroastrians face discrimination and oppression.

Yasmine and I visited the Zoroastrian fire temple in Houston to honor this indigenous Iranian faith and show solidarity with our Zoroastrian compatriots and the Parsi community.

In the free Iran, all Iranians will once again be able to freely practice their faiths.

[bioRxiv @biorxivpreprint]

The cholesterol biosynthesis enzyme FAXDC2 couples Wnt/beta-catenin to RTK/MAPK signaling https://t.co/UkeQyJzc5X #bioRxiv

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

@DwellingDeep_ @Iyervval @freepointglobal Ever heard of Dadabhai Naoroji? He literally wrote the book on the economic exploitation of India

[Shawn Wadia @ShawnWadia]

@Iyervval @freepointglobal Probably best not to make generalizations about an entire community based on the actions of one misguided individual. But hey, what do I know...

[Yann LeCun @ylecun]

Animals and humans get very smart very quickly with vastly smaller amounts of training data.
My money is on new architectures that would learn as efficiently as animals and humans.
Using more data (synthetic or not) is a temporary stopgap made necessary by the limitations of our current approaches.