AI master’s student places third in prestigious international pitch competition

Photo caption L to R: Jury Chair – Professor Phil Lester, Insect Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington;); third placegetter Manochitra Loganathan; Unitec; Winnie Switakowski, Deputy Head of Mission, German Embassy; James Henry, COO, Falling Labs

Master of Applied Technologies (Computing) student Manochitra Loganathan has placed third in Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa, an international pitch competition that challenges students and early-career professionals to present their breakthrough ideas in just three minutes.

Manochitra was one of 22 finalists who took part in the national Falling Labs final staged by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in Wellington last week. The event is also supported by the German Embassy in Wellington, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and EURAXESS Australia & New Zealand.

In her three-minute presentation, Manochitra discussed Breaking the Wall of Bias in AI: A Culturally Aligned Framework for Fairness, an idea developed through her master’s research on improving fairness in AI systems. Her work explores how to make AI more equitable in critical areas like healthcare and employment, while respecting the cultural values of communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. She worked with Stats NZ to ground her project in real-world data.

“Manochitra’s placing in the top three of the national competition is a well-deserved recognition of her talent, hard work, and thoughtful approach,” says Dr. Hamid Sharifzadeh, her masters’ supervisor.

“It’s a remarkable achievement and one that Manochitra should be incredibly proud of, especially as an international master’s student competing alongside PhD students and researchers. I have no doubt this is just the beginning of many more successes to come for her.

“It also reflects the calibre of applied research undertaken by our master’s and doctoral students,” he says.

Ankit Parikh, from AUT /Exsurgo Ltd, placed first for a drug-free, at-home treatment for chronic pain that is showing promising early results to reduce pain through vagus nerve stimulation.

Erica Sue-Tang, from Lincoln Agritech Ltd, placed second for her innovation of creating biodegradable bioplastic from plant waste. More information on the Falling Walls Lab final is available here:

Unitec last had a student in the national final in 2018, when computer science lecturer and doctoral student Maryam Erfanian presented her work on helping improve patients’ communication after a laryngectomy. Although she wasn’t named as a global finalist, her work attracted widespread interest and praise.

Falling Walls, set up in 2009, was inspired by the world-changing event of the fall of the Berlin Wall which took place on 9 November, 1989.