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:Message for students 2025:Sourav Saha

April 9, 2025

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Engaging in software research, development, and promotion

Sourav Saha
Principal Researcher
Secure System Platform Research Laboratories

Saha is from India. After majoring in computer science in university, Saha joined NEC Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. Drawing on his knowledge and know-how of high-speed computing, distributed programming, and compiler design, he engaged in the optimization of vector supercomputers. After working in Japan as an expatriate, he joined NEC in 2021. Saha is also the developer advocate* of FireDucks, data analysis software that automatically speeds up data preparation, and enjoys exchanges with communities around the world.

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    See “Activities as a developer advocate” at the end.

Developed FireDucks as an optimization specialist

After studying computer science in university, I joined NEC Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. I worked on the research and development of vector supercomputer optimization and AI-driven big data solutions. In 2016, I came to Japan as an expatriate and started working on site. I was already studying Japanese in India since I was interested in the Japanese culture. I took this opportunity to put serious efforts into studying Japanese, including going to a Japanese language school. I was starting to think about continuing work in Japan when I found out that NEC was offering a position similar to the one that I had back then. I applied for the position and successfully landed a job at NEC in 2021, where I have been working to this date.
I am current working on the research and development of data analysis software called FireDucks. This software speeds up pandas library, which is commonly used in data analyses using Python programming language. Computer processing time is the key burden in data analyses, so we are looking to reduce this. Ever since we released the beta version in 2023, the user base has been expanding across the world.
Our main theme is to find issues and needs by observing user response and quickly applying feedback to products.

No boundary between research and development

At least in my current team, there is no clear boundary between research and development. I am also involved in both. A research work flow always starts out with needs. Needs are where user’s troubles are, and finding ways to solve them is the starting point of research. We think of various approaches to produce good results, and at the same time, create prototypes while thinking about writing research papers and filing patent applications. Then we proceed with commercialization while examining user responses to prototypes. As we see here, a major part of research and development overlap with each other and they cannot be completely separated like the respective duties of researchers and engineers. We don't just do basic research and write papers like “researchers” imagined in the academic world, and we have far more freedom than “engineers” are generally conceived to have. We can think over as we go through trial and error. This kind of R&D is an interesting and unique characteristic of NEC Laboratories.
What I noticed upon coming to an NEC laboratory is the high freedom level and excellent teamwork. If you had something you want to do, you should communicate the benefits. If those can meet the needs of users, then you can take on the challenge and people around you will be there to support you. It is also a great advantage to have world-class researchers in a variety of fields, including biometric authentication, image processing, and hardware, nearby to ask for advice.

Activities as a developer advocate

Aside being a researcher, I currently have an active role as a developer advocate for FireDucks. The role of a developer advocate is to connect with users and directly pick up their responses to the software and provide feedback to function development. While collecting reactions from various social media, including LinkedIn, Hacker News, and X, I communicate with users as the advocate for the development team. I also participate in real-world communities around the world to promote FireDucks, introducing its appeal and how to use it.
For example, last year I went on stage at 20 or so IT meet-ups held in India, and I made a presentation at a large conference held in Paris. I also give briefing sessions to students at universities. Recently, I am starting to gather more and more people when I get on stage. At these venues, people who know FireDucks ask me questions and we get into discussion. From people who have used FireDucks for the first time offer their feedback. Connecting online with these people who I have actually met in person and further extending this connection to their friends is very exciting. I inherently enjoy having conversations with people, so it is my pleasure to be in this role. Toward a monthly goal of 1 million downloads, I would like to continue to actively work on these activities.

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    The information posted on this website is the information at the time of publication.

Message to my past self in my school days

Private column

My hobby is cooking. My wife also loves the dishes that I learned how to make from my mother. Cooking has something in common with innovation. I feel rejuvenated when I concentrate on cooking a dish. I also like to go out to places where I can feel the nature. I often visit Lake Kawaguchiko, Hakone, and Jogasaki Coast in Izu. I hike Mount Takao during fall foliage season. I like growing flowers and vegetables. Seeing planted seeds sprout is the best moment. I am already looking forward to when it gets warmer so that I can plant seeds.