Last week I wrote about burnout. This week: what brings me back 🌟

After the whirlwind of deadlines and submissions, I took a moment to reconnect with why I love this work.

And honestly? The excitement is still there.

It’s in those breakthrough moments: ✨ When a tensor decomposition suddenly reveals a pattern you didn’t expect ✨ When a federated model works beautifully across real hospital data ✨ When a student’s face lights up because they finally see what you’ve been explaining

These are the moments that fuel everything else. The curiosity, the collaboration, the drive to push boundaries.

Yes, academia is demanding. Yes, some days are harder than others. But when I step back, I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing: exploring how information flows through complex systems, developing new methods that could make a real difference, and working with brilliant people who inspire me daily.

(The little frog? A gift from my supervisor, her reminder to “eat the frog,” to tackle the difficult-but-important work. It’s become a lab symbol of persistence and purpose. Small things that mean a lot 🐸)

Next week I’m heading to FLTA 2025 to present our work on Federated Block-Term Tensor Regression for brain-computer interfaces and clinical prediction. But more than that, I’m excited to connect with researchers tackling similar challenges, to exchange ideas, and to be energized by what’s possible when we collaborate.

This is why we do it. The discovery. The impact. The people. The privilege of contributing something meaningful.

Feeling grateful and energized for what’s ahead 🚀

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