Kolja Zydatiss was born and raised in Berlin. From 2009 to 2013, he lived in the United Kingdom, where he studied Psychology and Neuroscience at Bangor University and University College London. Upon returning to Berlin, Kolja worked for the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, conducting data analysis for a longitudinal dementia study. This led to an interest in statistics, and he is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Statistics at the University of Sheffield via distance-learning.

Kolja is a regular contributor to the German magazine NovoArgumente and a member of the editorial board. His interests include civil liberties, tolerance and open-ended speculation about the future.