Gökmen:
Today we’re here with Kourosh. Hi Kourosh, we’d like to get to know you as much as possible. Who is Kourosh? How did he meet Buluttan? What is his approach to weather intelligence as a data scientist or aspiring data scientist?Maybe you can also share some suggestions for those interested in the field. But first—who is Kourosh, and what does his name mean?
Kourosh:
My name is Kourosh. I was born in Tehran, Iran, and I moved to Turkey about four years ago. My name comes from Cyrus the Great, the Persian king. In Persian, it's known as “Kurosh-e Bozorg.” The name carries meanings like “flowing from the source of the sun.” My father admired Cyrus, so he suggested the name. After moving to Turkey, I enrolled in the computer science program at Sabancı University and took mathematics as my minor. I’m currently majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics.
I also co-founded Kai Sabancı, the university’s first AI club. During my studies, I worked on several research projects. One of them was on reinforcement learning with professors from Yale. More recently, a friend and I published our graduation project on keyword spotting in Ottoman documents, focusing on image processing. I’m now working part-time at Buluttan as a member of the data science team. We’re focused on energy projects, using data science and our tools to forecast weather and power generation. We carry out various R&D efforts to help our partners access more accurate forecasts.
Gökmen:
So, how did the son of the sun meet the sons of the clouds?
Kourosh:
Great question. One day while checking internship announcements in my inbox, I saw the name Buluttan. Funny enough, I had recently been talking with my friend Tansylu, who also works at Buluttan—you’ve probably seen her. She spoke very highly of the company and encouraged me to apply. At first, I actually applied for a data engineering role. But after my interviews with Güven, Alihan, and others on the data team, they steered me toward data science. And that’s how I joined the team.
Gökmen:
Great to have you here. How do you spend your time?
Kourosh:
Outside of classes and work, I usually focus on physical activities. I do calisthenics, some MMA training, and I used to play semi-professional basketball. When I find time, I also enjoy artistic pursuits like sketching, painting, and sometimes graphic design. Balancing these with school and work can be tough, but physical activity and health are always a priority for me.
Gökmen:
Your work at Buluttan seems like a mutual relationship—the happier and more successful you are, the more the company empowers you. How has your experience been so far?
Kourosh:
I really enjoy working here—not just for the sake of data science or being on the AI team, but because the challenges we tackle are genuinely engaging. At my age and experience level, it’s rare to be exposed to this kind of work. If you’re an undergraduate student looking to really test your skills, work on cutting-edge problems, and see your work make a difference for real users and companies, Buluttan is a great place. You have to get your hands dirty—there are complex problems with no single solution. The projects aren’t easy, but that makes them rewarding. It’s far more satisfying than working on something easy but dull. So yes, I highly recommend Buluttan to those interested in this space.
Gökmen:
What would you suggest to students at Sabancı or other universities, or to anyone considering applying to Buluttan? Any advice for those interested in weather intelligence or climate adaptation?
Kourosh:
First, you really need to be interested in the field. Just liking AI or machine learning isn’t enough—you can’t just show up and reuse a model you applied once in a project. You need domain knowledge, you need to understand the problem, and you need to be able to reason through how to solve it. All of this requires passion and commitment. Whether it’s weather forecasting, energy prediction, or another subfield—if you're not genuinely interested, this might not be for you. But if you’re passionate and determined to keep learning, then the path opens up for you.
Gökmen:
Sounds challenging, but definitely not intimidating.
Kourosh:
Yes, at first the workload may seem overwhelming. But once you dive in, you realize it's not as difficult to navigate as it looks from the outside.
Gökmen:
Kourosh, thank you for joining this episode of Small Talks at Buluttan. It’s great to have you on the team. And as we always say to close—"Havanız yerinde olsun!"
Kourosh:
Thank you, I really appreciate it. Havanız yerinde olsun!
