Devon Jarvis, 27, is a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he lectures in mathematical foundations of data science and natural language processing. He also leads the Cognition, Adaptation and Learning (CAandL) Lab, a multidisciplinary research group exploring how cognitive neuroscience can inform the future of machine learning. Initially drawn to economics, Devon discovered a love for coding at university and has since earned his PhD in computer science, supported by the Google PhD Fellowship, Commonwealth Scholarship and an NRF Thuthuka Grant. In 2023, he was a visiting researcher at University College London’s Gatsby Unit and Sainsbury Wellcome Centre. Beyond research, he is a commit- ted mentor, programme coordinator and advocate for accessible science education. He co-organises the Deep Learning Indaba X South Africa and reviews for global AI conferences such as NeurIPS and ICLR. Outside academia, Jarvis co-founded 1Day Africa, the continent’s arm of 1Day Sooner, advocating for equitable access to medical research during the pandemic and mentoring African medical students. What drives him? A desire to equip students with the opportunities he once received.