Sopha-Mith Kong

Analytical Mastermind

Sopha is the embodiment of diversity and multi-talented genius: His German-Cambodian background gave him an early head-start in life with regards to bridging cultural boundaries and integrating different ways of life, forming his sense of identity as much as his taste for spicy Asian food.

After completing his studies in Biology and working on a PhD in marine biology for a few years, he realized that his future did not lie in the world of academic research. As much as he enjoyed the statistical analysis of plankton time series data and writing hugely complex mathematical formulas in an attempt to crack nature’s secret wonder of oceanography, Sopha was drawn to spending time on the water rather than in the research lab. He tried teaching for a year but eventually the sea’s calling was louder than the screaming school kids. He finally signed on in a harbor and worked his way up from deckhand and skipper to navigational watch-keeping officer for near coastal voyage. This day job still feeds his passion for the ocean – just in a different way than what he would have thought a few years ago.

Having been exposed to heavy computer science both as a hobby (yep, he’s a gamer) and during his PhD, Sopha has nurtured his interest in applied information technology over the years. While he does not have a formal IT degree, he knows more about computers than anyone else at GAIA Insights and the entire team is grateful for his expertise if he can help anyone get unstuck. Basically, Sopha could be a long lost room-mate of Sheldon and his friends in the Big Bang Theory – he is equally smart, introverted and has a similar sense of humor.

Curious fact #1

Sopha collects Magic cards. His collection comprises of thousands of cards, diligently sorted in collector albums and boxes.

Curious fact #2

Sopha was born in Tokyo and spent the first few years of his life in Japan. To his regret, he does not remember much Japanese.

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