Seven Questions with Radoslaw Kowalski

He is the founder of Agrokalkulator, a company that offers a cross-platform smartphone app to help farmers and construction companies do very basic accounting for internal use.

Why did you choose your subject of study and what do you plan to do in the future?

I came to study Political Science because I wanted to learn how to do data science. I need programming skills and statistical knowledge to realise my lifetime objective of transforming food supply chains. I want to permanently end world hunger, regardless of how large the population becomes. In my opinion today's flat-earthers are short-sighted in saying that the world population is too large to sustain. My own belief is that mastering and using technology, rather than witty political discourses about compassion, hold the key to ensure a permanent end to hunger.

To do what I want to do, I need to properly understand what the newest technologies have to offer. PhD study at UCL is a great opportunity to do just that. I've established my start-up full-time but previous to that, I was working part-time on it for two years before it made its first meaningful sales.

What is the most interesting thing you've done, seen or got involved with while at UCL?

I had the opportunity to present my research to the NHS to which I dedicated my analysis. It was great to have NHS managers listen to my research outputs, ask good questions and appreciate my work. This event proved to me that three years of work hadn't been in vain!

Have you discovered any hidden gems during your time at UCL?

I have learned to really appreciate the British Library. There are ample café spaces and amazing research resources. For data scientists of all stripes, the Turing Institute located in the library is really a must-visit location. They offer a wide range of very high quality events. Moreover, the temporary exhibits in the library are really interesting. You can walk 10 minutes from the main campus and see one of the few remaining copies of Magna Carta (all for free!).

Give us your top three things to do/see/go to in London:

The Science Museum. The venue runs amazing events. If you're lucky, you can see impressive steam-powered machines all back in action. Chinatown, where there's a plethora of choices for eating out, if you cook, the Seewoo shop offers every kind of fresh seafood and vegetables at very good prices. The River Thames. When the tide is at its lowest due to the lunar cycle, a community of flame throwers and fireball artists take advantage of a larger beach near Bernie Spain Gardens. You can try things out on your own or just enjoy the show.

If you were Provost for the day what one thing would you do?

I would buy a large, fancy board and put it in a prominent spot at the entrance to the Main Quad. On that board I would put the names of UCL students and alumni who founded their own successful companies, together with the respective company names as an inspiration to all aspiring entrepreneurs.

Who inspires you and why?

I often look to an example set by Józef Piłsudski. He achieved what people around him thought to be unimaginable. He re-established independent Poland in the early 20th century. Then, with very few resources, he built an army which defeated the Soviet Union and saved Europe from communism. Using today's business vocabulary, you could say that his achievement was the ultimate start-up. It was successful against all odds, has grown quickly and had no venture capital. The story shows that people, not physical resources, are the most important for any initiative to succeed. If people are divided, the results are poor.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I never liked studying! I hated going to school and found it a chore. I have only truly enjoyed studying as a PhD student because I was learning something that I considered useful. I really sympathise with young people who might be disillusioned with today's sanitized education system. I'm no different even with my recently acquired 'Dr' title.