Börkur Sigurbjörnsson
applied scientist and fiction writer
Senior Applied Scientist & Software Engineer specializing in early-stage startups. 15+ years transforming AI research into market-ready products. Also a published fiction writer of multiple short fiction collections.
Applied Science
Looking for a technical co-founder or senior engineer? I provide freelance services for early-stage startups, transforming AI/ML research into revenue-generating products.
15+ years experience as lead engineer and applied scientist across academia, Fortune 500 R&D labs, and successful startups in Iceland, Netherlands, UK, and Spain with further participation in the startup scene in Germany and France.
Expertise: Building AI/ML systems that scale — from idea to product in 3-6 months. Specializing in natural language processing, search engines, information systems, spatial informatics and data infrastructure.
Academic Research
I have a PhD in computer science and an MSc degree in computational logic from the University of Amsterdam. At an undergraduate level, I studied mathematics and computer science at University of Iceland.
I have worked on academic and applied research at the University of Amsterdam, the Yahoo! Research Lab in Barcelona and at Microsoft Research Cambridge.
My publication record coveres a range of subjects such as information retrieval, search engines, machine learning, data mining, and natural language processing.
Fiction Writing
Avid storyteller with readers across multiple continents. I publish short stories and flash fiction exploring themes of technology, alternative world views, and human interactions.
Start reading today: Four complete story collections available free on Urban Volcano.
Among Other Things
A collection of flash fiction where I reflect on many aspects of life through an introverted lens.
"The stories highlight the curious details of our lives that pass unnoticed or seem irrelevant."
Reader review
Talk to Strangers
Short stories featuring encounters with alien form, be it a stranger in the street, a foreign point of view or an internal dialog with the concealed part of our own subconscious.
"The stories are well written and despite being about different characters around the globe there is a strong thread throughout the book."
Reader review
Flash 52
A complete year of illustrated flash fiction where I doodled and wrote a piece of flash fiction in three languages every week for a year.
"The prose has a strong visual component."
Reader review
999 Abroad
Ten loosely autobiographical stories about an Icelander navigating life abroad.
"The stories have a beautiful, almost a poetic rhythm."
Reader review
Urban Volcano | Amazon | iTunes | Kobo | Storytel | Goodreads
