Hello, world. I'm
Viraj Nistane
Data Scientist & Research Engineer
Nice, France
PhD in Theoretical Physics · Building production-grade data pipelines, ML models, and scientific computing systems.
About
I'm a Research & Data Engineer with a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Geneva, with hands-on experience building production-grade data pipelines, ETL routines, and scientific computing systems.
My background spans cosmological simulations, Bayesian analysis, deep learning for radio astronomy, and modern data engineering practices — bridging the gap between rigorous research and scalable software.
I'm skilled in workflow orchestration, data quality/observability, and mathematical modelling, with a track record of turning complex data into actionable insights across academic and industry settings.
JSPS Fellowship (FY2021)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science — Strategic Program Research Fellow in Japan
Quick Facts
- LocationNice, France
- NationalityIndian
- LanguagesEnglish, Hindi, Marathi, French
- Emailnato.viraj@gmail.com
Projects
Emotion Translator — Tough Tongue AI
Production-ready emotion translation and coaching app for alexithymic individuals — built with Next.js 15, TypeScript, Firebase, and the Tough Tongue AI API (implemented at Tough Tongue AI). Features an AI emotion coach, interactive assessments, emotion journaling, progress dashboard, and an admin analytics panel.
Data Quality-Control Platform · Euclid Mission
User-oriented data QC platform for the Euclid mission, streamlining development and production data access for scientific users. Features modular pipelines, self-service documentation, and CI/CD integration with GitLab & Jenkins.
Deep Learning for Radio Astronomy
Co-developed SERENEt, a deep learning framework using TensorFlow/Keras to recover astrophysical signals from contaminated radio images. Included building structured training datasets by extracting and parsing data from the GLEAM-MWA online catalog.
Collaborations
European Space Agency · CNRS
Contributing to ESA's Euclid space telescope mission as a CNRS Research Software Engineer at Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur. Developed modular scientific data pipelines and a PPO framework for dependency-aware workflow orchestration.
Hydrogen Intensity Real-Time Analysis eXperiment
Contributed to the HIRAX radio telescope project — a 256-element interferometric array designed to detect dark energy through 21-cm hydrogen intensity mapping. Developed the HIRAXmcmc Python package for Bayesian parameter estimation and led cosmological simulation-driven forecasting studies.
Experience
Data Engineer · Tough Tongue AI
Remote
ETL pipelines (NoSQL → PostgreSQL), workflow orchestration with Prefect/Cronitor, pipeline observability, and Marimo dashboards for product and operations analytics.
Research Software Engineer · Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (CNRS) (ESA's Euclid Mission)
Nice, France
Built EuclidClusterViz (data QC platform), modular scientific data pipelines, CI/CD integration with GitLab & Jenkins, and a PPO framework for dependency-aware workflow orchestration.
Doctoral / Post-doctoral Researcher · Université de Genève
Geneva, Switzerland
Simulation-driven cosmological forecasting, Bayesian analysis (HIRAXmcmc package), 30-38x improvement in reconstruction noise via novel statistical estimator for weak (lensing) signals from noisy spatial density data, and co-developed SERENEt deep learning framework for radio signal recovery.
JSPS Research Fellow · Nagoya University Cosmology Group
Nagoya, Japan
Cosmological signal analysis research under the JSPS Strategic Program Fellowship.
Education
Ph.D. in Physics
Université de Genève
Geneva, Switzerland
Department of Theoretical Physics. Focus on cosmological perturbation theory, CMB, galaxy surveys, and 21-cm radio experiments.
M.Sc. in Physics
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Munich, Germany
Specialisation in theoretical and mathematical physics.
B.Tech. in Engineering Physics
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
New Delhi, India
Foundation in applied physics, mathematics, and engineering fundamentals.
Skills
Programming
Libraries & Frameworks
Infrastructure & DevOps
HPC & Distributed Systems
Data & Analytics
Languages
Publications
Journal Articles
HIRAX: Cosmology Simulations and Forecasts
Viraj Nistane et al.
In preparation
Square Kilometre Array Science Data Challenge 3a: foreground removal for an EoR experiment
A. Bonaldi, P. Hartley, R. Braun, S. Purser, A. Acharya et al.
arXiv:2503.11740 [astro-ph.IM]
Deep learning approach for identification of HII regions during reionization in 21-cm observations — III. image recovery
Michele Bianco, Sambit K. Giri, Rohit Sharma, Tianyue Chen, Shreyam Parth Krishna et al.
arXiv:2408.16814 [astro-ph.CO]
Hydrogen Intensity and Real-Time Analysis Experiment: 256-element array status and overview
Devin Crichton et al.
J.Astron.Telesc.Instrum.Syst. 8 (2022), 011019
An estimator for the lensing potential from galaxy number counts
Viraj Nistane, Mona Jalilvand, Julien Carron, Ruth Durrer, Martin Kunz
JCAP 06 (2022) 06, 024
CMB sky for an off-center observer in a local void. Part I. Framework for forecasts
Viraj Nistane, Giulia Cusin, Martin Kunz
JCAP 12 (2019), 038
Conference Proceedings
The Hydrogen Intensity Real-Time Analysis eXperiment: Overview and Status Update
Anthony Walters, Keshav Bechoo et al.
2024 18th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP)
Design and implementation of a noise temperature measurement system for the Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX)
Emily R. Kuhn, Benjamin R.B. Saliwanchik, Maile Harris, Moumita Aich, Kevin Bandura et al.
Proc. SPIE 11445, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VIII, 114452Z (2021)
Mechanical and Optical Design of the HIRAX Radio Telescope
Benjamin R.B. Saliwanchik, Aaron Ewall-Wice, Devin Crichton, Emily R. Kuhn, Deniz Ölçek et al.
arXiv:2101.06338 [astro-ph.IM]
Teaching
Teaching assistant at the Department of Theoretical Physics, Université de Genève.
| Course | Instructor | Semester | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Relativity | Prof. Martin Kunz | Autumn 2019–20 | Teaching Assistant |
| Quantum Mechanics I | Prof. Martin Kunz | Spring 2019–20 | Teaching Assistant |
| General Relativity | Prof. Martin Kunz | Autumn 2020–21 | Teaching Assistant |
| Quantum Mechanics I | Prof. Martin Kunz | Spring 2020–21 | Teaching Assistant |
| Mechanics II | Prof. Lucas Lombriser / Prof. Ruth Durrer | Autumn 2020–21 | Teaching Assistant |
Contact
I'm open to opportunities in data science and engineering, and software engineering. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out!
Nice, France (open to remote & relocation)