Faculty Spotlight: Rafael Ballester-Ripoll

Back in 2006, Rafael Ballester-Ripoll ranked 7th in Spain in the 2006 National Mathematics Olympiad. Since then, the data science professor has had a string of accomplishments that set him apart. In addition to defending his PhD thesis “Tensor methods for high-dimensional analysis and visualization” at the University of Zurich with a summa cum laude, he has published his research in such prestigious venues as IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, the International Conference on Computer Vision, and the Journal of Machine Learning Research.

He created tntorch, an open-source machine learning library installed by thousands of users. And he also recently co-designed a course on data strategy and management, tailored to digital leaders, covering the latest trends in data governance, management, and digital transformation.

Get to know one of the Sci-Tech School’s top thought leaders.

What brought you to IE? Where were you before? And what keeps you here?

I came to IE in 2019 drawn by the idea of a quickly rising young school focused on computer science, math, and technology. It is a very dynamic place where, even as a junior professor, one gets the feeling that "everything is possible" if one really strives for it. And after four years, IE keeps that vibe more alive than ever. Before 2019, I lived in Switzerland: I did a PhD in data visualization and computer graphics at the University of Zurich, followed by a short post-doc at the ETH Zurich.

Where do you work outside of IE and what is most exciting to you about this role in your professional career?

I am a full-time professor and researcher at IE, although this doesn't mean I am always physically at one of the IE campuses. I collaborate with other universities and often travel either for meetings or to participate in conferences, which is an exciting part of research life.

Have you ever had an a-ha moment while teaching that furthered your research? What was it?

Definitely - this happened while teaching Statistics for the IE Master in Big Data, where students often use computer simulations to quickly grasp a strong intuition about many problems. I am always surprised by how natural (and fun!) it feels to them, and this has encouraged me to push more that kind of research in my own work.

What book do you wish your students would read before taking your class and why?

Not specifically for my current classes, but for any student who will use math and reasoning in their studies at IE: do read Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz.

Please name one of your articles or studies you feel addresses the most important issues for 2023?

My Sci-Tech colleague Manuele Leonelli and I have published the "YODO” algorithm, a new method to measure risk in uncertain and changing scenarios. While it is broadly applicable, we demonstrated its effectiveness in a model of humanitarian crises which included the recent topic of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also check out my slides on minimizing boat fuel consumption, which I presented in 2023 at the Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. It is a project led by David Gómez-Ullate, another colleague at the Sci-Tech School, and it is fully aligned with sustainability goals (reducing carbon emissions).

Whose research of your IE colleagues do you find interesting? Why?

To mention just one topic, I am interested in the work of Francisco de Elizalde and his collegues at the IE Lawtomation center (https://lawtomation.ie.edu/), which has been funded by the European Commission. They are studying digital automation and AI in the context of Law and how these fields can benefit from each other.

Tell us one personal thing about yourself that none of your students know. A hobby, sport or talent? Strange fact? Unusual interest?

I love improvising music at the piano. I will often spend hours playing old-fashioned jazz and blues. I have played in a few amateur bands and I'm hoping to step on the stage again soon.