Jonas De Vuyst studied informatics at secondary school. He moved on to a master’s in philosophy at VUB, before continuing with a doctorate in philosophy, supervised by Em. Prof. Dr. Jean Paul Van Bendegem and Prof. Dr. Patrick Allo, that touched upon informatics. Meanwhile he has built an international career in software engineering. “The fact I did a doctorate was certainly an advantage”, he says.
The doctoral research of Jonas focused on dynamic modal logic. “Logic lies in the field of philosophy. It concerns reasoning about knowledge. However, logic is just as much part of the mathematical domain and perhaps, to a lesser extent, also part of economic sciences and linguistics. It's interdisciplinary."
“When I began my doctoral research the main focus lay on the philosophical approach, but gradually this moved towards the technical side due to the interaction with professors and other researchers. That was particularly the case during my semester at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation at the University of Amsterdam under the guidance of professor Benedikt Löwe”.
After completing his doctorate, for which he received the highest distinction, Jonas set to work at RingMD in Vietnam. There, he developed apps putting patients and doctors in touch. He then headed for Singapore, where he also designed apps for medical purposes for MyDoc, before moving on to manage digital projects at Grab (call it the Southeast Asian Uber), at Standard Chartered Bank and Network Guard.
Were you expecting to do a doctorate in philosophy?
“I was the first in my family to go to university. My journey to get there was also unusual. I came from a technical school. Once I had completed my bachelor, it was decision time. Either a second bachelor in another domain, or embark on my master. I chose the latter because at the time I had my doubts about whether two bachelor's degrees would add value in the job market. I also knew right then that I wanted to go for a doctorate afterwards.”
After your doctorate you went to work in Asia. Was that a conscious decision?
“In fact, I first went to the US, but I wanted to become a programmer and did not have the right degree to be given a work permit. Then I travelled to Asia and built a portfolio by developing iPhone apps."
Since then you have established a wonderful professional career. Did you benefit from your doctorate?
"I believe it always gives a nice impression when someone reads your resume and sees that you have obtained a doctorate. In particular, I think it helps to get selected by recruiters or head hunters. Possibly it also helped when applying for a work visa, although I'll never know for sure. Finally, I think it might also help in salary negotiations, if only because your boss or HR manager themselves have to be able to justify to their managers why they think you deserve a certain salary."
Would you not have been better doing a doctorate in a more technical discipline?
"Not necessarily. Philosophy remains a good foundation, even in the world of computer science. Correct reasoning, comprehesive reading and good communication are extremely important for informatcians because, of course, you often have to collaborate with colleagues (including non-informaticians)."
"As an employee, you are also sometimes confronted with ethical choices made by the company you work for, be it because of a feature you are collaborating on or because there is an (alleged) scandal about the company in the newspaper. It's helpful to have thought about ethics even before that happens. I've already thought that maybe ethics should be a mandatory subject in computer science."
"In informatics, everything is changing all the time. And sometimes it also seems like the wheel is often reinvented. I think drawing parallels with the history of philosophy or science can help put all those changes in proper context."
You have specialised in software engineering. Could you also have settled in another business sector with a doctorate in philosophy?
“Yes, I believe so. In philosophy, learning to reason correctly is of great importance and that is useful wherever you work. In fact, I have also worked in a bank, not only in IT.”
"You also learn the art of good communication. Philosophy teaches you to pay attention to different ways of thinking. That is handy when you come into contact with people from another culture. “
“And now the world is changing so fast with technology, it’s interesting to have a foundation of scientific philosophy.”
You ended up in Asia for professional reasons. Was it difficult to adapt?
“Philosophy also helps with that because in philosophy you learn to understand the logic of other schools of thinking. In Asia, the influence of Confucius is very noticeable in how people relate to each other. It's hard to criticise someone. Particularly when you are in a group. In a group you are expected to praise one another.”
With your doctorate title you could also have chosen an academic direction.
“So far I found that less appealing. Then, until the age of 50, your career is uncertain. Not only that, in that case you are less free to choose where you want to live. I wanted that freedom.”
Has your doctoral period given you skills, and are you now reaping the rewards?
“During that time you change so much. You learn to battle with your subject and in the end you need to reach your own conclusions. It is an entire journey that you need to travel. You learn to think critically and logically. And that skill comes in handy all the time.”
"You also learn to take on a project that at first may seem a little too ambitious and outside your comfort zone. It's something that you also experience as an IT developer when you start a new project."