About

I’m Simon, a software engineer with a double background in operations research and AI, currently orbiting the intersection of optimization, generative models and biology. I like to run towards hard problems that have real stakes.

I started programming at 16 because I wanted to launch an artist label and couldn’t pay anyone to build the site. Learning to code was just the only way forward. From there I kept building whatever I thought was missing: an inventory system with QR codes for keeping track of gear, a “crowd-finding” web app when you needed people rather than funding. Those projects pushed me toward engineering and gave me a habit of looking at the world as systems that can be understood, redesigned and simplified.

My wide-ranging curiosity drives me to learn new material thoroughly. I almost started in bioengineering, but went the software route instead. My first master's at KU Leuven focused on operations research and optimization, where I worked on the Job Sequencing and Tool Switching Problem. After finishing, I decided to start a second master's in Computer Science Engineering at Ghent University, majoring in artificial intelligence. Along the way I took courses in molecular biology and bioinformatics. Eventually these paths came together in my thesis: Optimizing Diffusion Models for Generative Antibody Design.

I think visually and care a lot about how things feel to move through. From early on I was drawn to architecture and well designed tools because a good space or product can change how you feel, what you notice and how you think. I approach software the same way: understand the constraints, then build something that serves people and is satisfying to use.

This portfolio reflects that. It's in my typical minimalist style, with small playful details. It's also technically sound: built in React, with project pages dynamically generated from markdown files for easy maintenance.

When I am not behind a screen I am usually running, lifting or walking through nature and cities. That is where I process ideas, reset and keep some balance. I have learned I need that balance if I want to do serious, long term work.

There’s also a quieter part of the story: I went through a long, difficult stretch in my mid-twenties that forced me to rebuild slowly. Over time that became its own kind of training: learning to move again in small steps, to finish work even when it felt heavy, to keep showing up. It taught me patience, and that momentum comes from a long series of nearly invisible decisions. Over time, those small decisions stacked into real stability and forward motion. This portfolio sits on top of that work; it’s a marker that the foundation is solid again and that I’m ready to aim that momentum at larger, more demanding projects.