Svetha Venkatesh

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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]

Contents

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

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

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

  1. ↑ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh ranked in the top 15 women working in AI". A²I² Artificial Intelligence at Deakin. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Alfred Deakin Professor". Deakin University .
  3. 1 2 "Andrea Morello, Cyrille BoyerIan Frazer, Ryan Lister, Ian Reid, Nalini Joshi and the STEM heroes". The Australian. 11 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Lin, Anne. (29 July 2014). "Can computers stop suicides?, Special Broadcasting Service . Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Foreshew, Jennifer. (4 October 2011). "Learning tool designed for autistic kids", The Australian. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  6. ↑ Natasha MItchell interviews Svetha Venkatesh and Silvana Gaglia (8 October 2012). Toby Playpad: Autism therapy (mp3) (Radio broadcast). ABC Radio National.
  7. ↑ "Computers model human behaviour". ABC Radio National. 6 June 2009.
  8. ↑ "Gender Diversity in AI Research". nesta. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "IAPR Fellows", International Association of Pattern Recognition. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh" NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Deakin celebrates: ARC Laureate Fellowship for Svetha Venkatesh". Deakin University . 5 June 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Professor Svetha Venkatesh". State Government of Victoria. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "Looking beyond Big Data", Deakin University. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "2024 Pearcey Medal". The Pearcey Foundation. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  16. ↑ Akshay, Venkatesh. "Akshay Venkatesh home page". Dept of Mathematics, Stanford University. Stanford University. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Fields Medal: Aussie genius Akshay Venkatesh wins 'Nobel Prize of mathematics', Michael Slezak, ABC News Online, 2018-08-02
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