Pål Hermunn Johansen

Norwegian mathematician and software engineer. Represented Norway at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1996 and 1997, then took a PhD in mathematics at the University of Oslo (2006) on algebraic geometry and geometric modeling, publishing in that area. He worked as a research scientist at the Oslo algorithmic-trading firm Intelligent Trading AS (2010-2016), and since March 2016 has been a Senior Developer at Varnish Software in Oslo, where he is a core developer of Varnish Cache and leads an R&D team. His public writing and talks are Varnish/web-performance technical content.

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• Quant employment verification: CONFIRMED. Pål Hermunn Johansen held a salaried quantitative-trading role at Intelligent Trading AS (Oslo) - the caller lead lists 'Senior Research Scientist, Jan 2010-Feb 2016', and Dagens Næringsliv names him, as a PhD holder, among the owners/team of Intelligent Trading's 'robot trading' (algoritmehandel) operation that made NOK 266m in a year alongside Haakon Børs Lind. Intelligent Trading AS is classified in public registries as verdipapirfondsforvaltning (securities-fund management) / Other Investment Pools and Funds, i.e. an algorithmic/quant trading firm, NOT a company merely named 'quant'. Identity is supported: the same person is the Oslo mathematician (PhD 2006) who is now at Varnish Software. Classification: quant trading firm - CONFIRMED.2016
• Index-only claim: the Taiga/LinkedIn index lists a role 'Senior Research Scientist at Intelligent Trading, Jan 2010 - Feb 2016' - the date span is index-provided and not independently primary-source confirmed, though the employer and quant function are corroborated by DN and Norwegian company registries.2016
• Since Mar 2016 at Varnish Software in Oslo as Senior Developer and a core developer of Varnish Cache; leads the company's R&D 'C-team' and co-presents technical webinars/podcasts with Thijs Feryn.Mar 2016
• Earned a PhD in mathematics at the University of Oslo, defended 14 Dec 2006, thesis 'Topics in algebraic geometry and geometric modeling', done within the EU project 'GAIA' on intersection algorithms for geometry-based IT applications; committee included Bernard Mourrain (INRIA).Dec 14, 2006
• Represented Norway at the International Mathematical Olympiad in both 1996 and 1997; IMO 1996 score 12/42, rank 180, 57.8%, bronze (Award 'B').Jul 1996
• Email [contact omitted] appears in an ITU-T Focus Group technical specification listing him as a Varnish Software contributor (email published in the ITU document).Oct 2021
• Serves as jury chairman of the Abel competition (Abelkonkurransen) for Norwegian school mathematics, presenting prizes to winners - a continuing link to Norwegian mathematics competition life beyond his own Olympiad years.2024
• Published 'Monoid hypersurfaces' (arXiv math/0612582) with Magnus Løberg and Ragni Piene - the applied-algebraic-geometry work that his PhD and post-PhD papers sit within.Dec 2006
• IMO 1997 (Norway): reported score 56.7% at rank 200 in the team table, consistent with the two-year Olympiad participation.Jul 1997
• Authored multiple Varnish Software technical blog posts (e.g. on the Massive Storage Engine/VCL, Nov 2019) and webinars on streaming and Stack Overflow usage - the main public written output of his current role.Nov 19, 2019
• In Aug 2006 took up a teaching vikariat (lectureship) at NTNU, Trondheim while a stipendiat (research fellow), per the Norwegian Mathematical Society newsletter.Aug 2006
• Listed in the Norwegian business registry (Proff) with civic roles including board member of Nordre Aker Sosialistisk Venstreparti (SV) and deputy of a housing cooperative - i.e. local-political and cooperative governance, not corporate finance roles.2025