I spend most of my time outside of work with my wife, Mojgan, who is an astrophysicist at the University of Virginia. We spend a lot of time with our family and friends from all over the world. The rest of the time, we binge-watch series and explore different cuisines. We love nature and often go on short trails, but rarely do we get adventurous :)

My main hobby is sailing. I started sailing from the time I was a grad student at FSU. I learned to sail on dingies (sunfish and lasers) and also enjoy sailing keelboats. Still a novice, I enjoy the winds and try to put some of the things I learned out in practice.

Even though forced to take a "retirement", I still follow and am passionate about football (a.k.a soccer).

I rarely paint nowadays, a hobby I dearly miss and am guilty of. Cooking is still something hidden within my passion. Seldom following the recipe, I love to venture on my taste and smell instincts, almost always leading to a dish only served to and enjoyed by myself (except for once in a bluemoon).