Gradient Ascent
24-month intensive · in progress

I'm teaching myself to build AIfrom the math up.

I'm a cybersecurity subject-matter expert (SME) for a U.S. Space Force program office, spending two years and ~3,000 hours going from genuinely zero on the math to research-grade machine learning — aiming at safety & evaluations or alignment / research-engineering work at a frontier lab. I'm doing it in the open: the wins, the walls, and the papers and podcasts worth your time.

~3,000 hrs · 8 phases Now: Math foundations Toward: Safety & Evals · Research Engineer

From the journey

weekly updates · papers · podcasts
June 3, 2026 Reflection

Week Two Synthesis

These synthesis essays seem to follow the same format each week: what I learned, what seemed easy, what was hard, etc. If you read my week one, you'll know I was already behind. I'm writing this after having just written the week one essay, three weeks behind. I'm catching up though. … Read the full entry →

May 27, 2026 Reflection

Week One Synthesis

Here I am, writing the week one synthesis essay at the beginning of week three's content, while it's actually the fourth week after I started this learning path. Confusing, isn't it? I tried my best to keep up with the curriculum doing the first few weeks. I pushed off the essays and told myself I would get to them once I got caught up with the work. Well, I never got caught up. … Read the full entry →

May 4, 2026 Intro

My Journey to AI

I've spent the last eight years in cybersecurity as an aerospace contractor, working for multiple companies but all within the realm of the Air Force / Space Force. I'm not sure how I stumbled across it but I began doing side-work for various AI training / RLHF companies and have been doing that for the last year as well. … Read the full entry →

More as the weeks roll on…