@marimeireles

I am seeking opportunities to work with organizations that are working in contexts that are uplifting to the world.

With several years of experience in open-source software development, I have contributed to projects such as PyScript, Jupyter, PySide, Mozilla Webcompat, Firefox, whynot, conda-forge and many others.

As an active member of the open-source community, I engage with NumFOCUS in various capacities: as a distinguished Jupyter contributor, a Jupyter Widgets steering council member, and a participant in the NumFOCUS DISC committee. Additionally, I help people develop their software skills through WoCCode and PyLadies Berlin. In the past, I have mentored coders and scientists in initiatives like Open Life Science and the ReDi project.

As an open science ecosystem contributor, I have served as a subject matter expert for NASA, developing a course aimed at providing guidance for scientists on practicing open science. I've also taught classes at Harvard through the LSSTC-DSFP program and at several other conferences and meetups.

You can have an overview of my work life either on my Github profile or on LinkedIn. You can also check my blog for software projects I maintain(ed).

You can have access to my talks, workshops, classes, and podcasts at this link.

I also have a list of software projects I tackle alone or with friends.

If you're a tech recruiter, please answer these two quick questions before getting in touch with me.

emergent algorithms:

I'm studying reinforcement learning, agent based modeling, causal inference and game theory. The scenarios you can model with these technologies combined are vast. Currently, I'm especially interested in the modeling of institutions in order to understand how agents cooperate or not within different systems and cooperative AI, which is a branch of AI alignment. I've recently started a research blog where I explain my understanding of these concepts and sometimes come up with new science!

I also write some unstructured notes here.

poverty alleviation:

I'm currently enrolled in MIT's MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy and I hope to gain a better understanding of poverty alleviation. This knowledge could hopefully be employed in my interests about modeling institutions using emergent algorithms, but I also believe it will be beneficial to my side projects like permaculture to Brazil's no land movement and the development of open-source internships to people coming from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

open knowledge:

I'm driven by meaning and I find a lot of significance and love in the open/libre internet. Liberating knowledge and fostering cultural and scientific development deeply resonates with many of my personal principles and working towards making the digital world more accessible and comfortable for all is a very fulfilling mission to me.

My main form of action on this front has been the advocacy of both the ethos and the practice of open source and open science. Highlights about my work here.

governance:

With the intent of creating resilient communities, I'm interested in driving research that allows for both quantitative and qualitative forms of assessing different kinds of governance systems. Initially, I'm focusing on open source communities and possibly expanding to real-life communities.

I have helped shape several open source communities in the past. Currently, I'm helping to write the NumFOCUS Cookbook. In case you're interested/curious, I have some links and comments here.

I found out the way I learn the best is by having the support of a community. Do you want to learn something together? Send me a message! I invite you to take a look at my current list of software projects to see if we have a matching one. But I'm also curious about what you have in mind! Besides writing software, I'm interested in many other things, check the list below!

• Books: I love reading and discussing things I learn. Do you want to read together? Check my reading list, maybe we can chill in a cafe or park and share our thoughts after a reading sesh.


• Light installation and vjing: I really love to be the girl taking care of lights at events. I've built my own DMX controller, and I'm somewhat versed in being a scrappy electronics person. I also try to be artsy with Touch Designer, I mainly focus on interactive art. Check some of my toes. Here's a link for a portfolio I'm building. I'm always open for hire and collaborations to do this kind of work.


• Drawing: I'm a beginner tattoo artist. I tattoo myself and friends. To me, this is a very special ritual and one of the few sacred things in my atheist existence. If you feel like it, email me and I might tattoo you! I know the basics of painting with spray, and I want to learn more, I would very much like to learn together. I also want to improve in watercolor and drawing, for that I love to go out on small friend dates and paint in the park.


• AI art*: Back in the day, I've experimented with GANs and created some -I like to think- cool tattoo designs. The link for the notebook is here (it's not currently being maintained). Nowadays, I'm marginally interested in doing something beautiful and long playing with Stability-like things but haven't started yet. Would love to collaborate with my software skills if any artists have a vision. I've created a software with a friend where one can generate universes with large language models. It was also presented in art exposition in NYC - 2023.


• Programming languages: Sometimes I geek out on computer languages and try to understand them deeply. I write about Rust (👼 baby level), C++ and Python. I'm also part of a women-only C++ work group in Berlin, you can learn more about it here.


• Music: Music theory, music producing (mainly electronic but also interested in analog jams), djing, foxdot(and similar shenanigans). I play the guitar and sing a bit, trying to be better at my Bossa Nova practicing. Looking for motivated people to practice with.


• Flow: Poi, hula-hoop, fire flow, yoga. Anything flowey, I'm always looking for people to share these practices with.


• Buddhism: I practice Tibetan Buddhism. I'm really interested in several facets of it: from meditation to the embodiment of great yidams to the beautiful ceremonies and practices. I'm part of an Aro sangha in Berlin and you're welcome to join us if you're interested and respectful. I'm not religious myself, but thankfully this branch is very permissive. I'm also curious to explore different branches of Vajrayana.


• Climbing: I practice every other day in a gym in Berlin. If you're also a climber, let's meet up someday and climb together!

I support several causes: ethical open source, animal liberation, and the decrease in animal-based products consumption, investing in carbon offsets to decrease my CO2 footprint, leveraging democracy through open democratic practices, post meritocracy in my engineering work context, combating disinformation on the Web, AI alignment, open access to knowledge, empowering people to overcome poverty using a) non-traditional forms of pedagogy, b) land redistribution coupled with permaculture and community building in rural contexts c) offering OSS opportunities through internships and mentoring d) respecting people's agency over their own economical future through donating money directly to them.

These are some of the projects I support:

• Women of Color Code: This program seeks to unite WoC and other members of minoritized groups to battle feelings of isolation and marginalization that are prevalent in educational institutions and industry settings. Women of Color Code is an initiative funded by AstroPy. I offer 1:1 mentorships, workshops, and webinars. I also co-organize the group. If you're interested in either becoming a mentor or offering webinars for our group, get in touch! We offer monetary compensations to our contributors!

• ReDI: In response to the refugee crisis, the ReDI School was founded: a vocational training program teaching digital skills to migrants and locals. I currently help as a mentor, but you could be a teacher of software or design, or if you have good organizational skills, you can help folks with the administration of the school!

• PyLadies Berlin: The global PyLadies mentorship group has a focus on helping more women become active participants and leaders in the Python open-source community with the mission to promote, educate and advance a diverse Python community through outreach, education, conferences, events and social gatherings. PyLadies aims to provide a friendly support network for women and a bridge to the larger Python world. I'm helping to organize the group. You can join the meetup group, organize talks or classes. Hit me up and we'll figure out something together. Disclaimer: we don't care about your gender :) just come!

• Frauen Loop: FrauenLoop offers a diverse network of women tech professionals who train motivated, women-identified persons in computer programming. There are many ways to help, from software to administration work.

I believe women have the right to have full control over their own bodies:

• Doctors in Germany are not allowed to post factual information on abortions on their websites. Other websites are allowed to post this information, though. Frag Den Staat is currently providing resources on the subject in German, English, and Turkish.

• Women on Waves is a Dutch nongovernmental organization created in 1999 by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts in order to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services and education, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws. If the value of their products is inaccessible to you, I want to help, send me an email.

AI art:

• I believe it's hard to throttle technological development, and that this unrestrained development is not always good for our culture, institutions, and people. However, I also believe it's quite possible to harness these technologies in an ethical and uplifting way.