Svetha Venkatesh
Svetha Venkatesh is an Indian computer scientist who is one of the top 15 women in the world in Artificial Intelligence.[1] She is Indian/Australian and is an Alfred Deakin Professor in the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environments,[2] in the Department of Pattern Recognition and Data Analytics at Deakin University, as well as a professor of computer science and director of the Centre for Pattern Recognition and Data Analytics (PRaDA) at Deakin.[2]
Venkatesh has developed new technologies in large-scale pattern recognition in big data.[3] Her work has led to start-ups such as iCetana which finds anomalies through video analytics to detect potential security threats in large data sets;[3] the development of a health analytics program which enables doctors to predict suicide risk;[4] and PRaDA's development of the Toby Playpad app which provides therapy for children with autism.[5][6] Her work on using surveillance data led to the development of a "virtual observer" which was used after the 2005 London bombings.[7]
In addition to her research, in 2015 she founded SPARK Deakin - Deakin University's flagship entrepreneurship program.
Recognition
[edit]Based on gender diversity analysis of 1.5m research papers, Venkatesh is one of the top 15 women in the world contributing to artificial intelligence research.[8]
She was elected a Fellow of the International Association of Pattern Recognition in 2004 for her contributions to the "formulation and extraction of semantics in multimedia data".[9] She was also elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2006[10] and an ARC Laureate Fellow in June 2017.[11] She was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2018[12] and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in May 2021.[13]
Venkatesh delivered the 2015 Harrison Lecture for Innovation.[14]
In November 2024 the Pearcey Foundation awarded Venkatesh the 2024 Pearcey Medal in recognition of a distinguished lifetime of achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the Australian ICT industry.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Venkatesh's son, Akshay, a mathematician specialising in number theory and related topics,[16] was one of the four Fields Medal winners in 2018.[17] She is based in Geelong, Victoria.
References
[edit]- ^ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh ranked in the top 15 women working in AI". A²I² Artificial Intelligence at Deakin. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Alfred Deakin Professor". Deakin University.
- ^ a b "Andrea Morello, Cyrille BoyerIan Frazer, Ryan Lister, Ian Reid, Nalini Joshi and the STEM heroes". The Australian. 11 December 2015.
- ^ Lin, Anne. (29 July 2014). "Can computers stop suicides?, Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Foreshew, Jennifer. (4 October 2011). "Learning tool designed for autistic kids", The Australian. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Natasha MItchell interviews Svetha Venkatesh and Silvana Gaglia (8 October 2012). Toby Playpad: Autism therapy (mp3) (Radio broadcast). ABC Radio National.
- ^ "Computers model human behaviour". ABC Radio National. 6 June 2009.
- ^ "Gender Diversity in AI Research". nesta. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "IAPR Fellows", International Association of Pattern Recognition. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh" NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Deakin celebrates: ARC Laureate Fellowship for Svetha Venkatesh". Deakin University. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh". State Government of Victoria. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Twenty-two Australians recognised among our nation's most distinguished scientists | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Looking beyond Big Data", Deakin University. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "2024 Pearcey Medal". The Pearcey Foundation. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Akshay, Venkatesh. "Akshay Venkatesh home page". Dept of Mathematics, Stanford University. Stanford University. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ Fields Medal: Aussie genius Akshay Venkatesh wins 'Nobel Prize of mathematics', Michael Slezak, ABC News Online, 2018-08-02
External links
[edit]- Living people
- Artificial intelligence researchers
- Academic staff of Deakin University
- Fellows of the International Association for Pattern Recognition
- Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
- Australian women scientists
- Australian women academics
- Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science