Svetha Venkatesh

Svetha Venkatesh is an Indian-Australian computer scientist and one of the world’s leading figures in artificial intelligence, recognised among the top 15 women globally in the field. She is an Alfred Deakin Professor in the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environments at Deakin University, within the Department of Pattern Recognition and Data Analytics, and serves as Director of the Centre for Pattern Recognition and Data Analytics (PRaDA).

Her research focuses on large-scale pattern recognition in big data, with applications spanning security, health, and social impact. Her work has led to spin-out technologies such as iCetana, which detects anomalies in surveillance footage to identify potential security threats, as well as health analytics systems that help predict suicide risk. Her group has also developed the Toby Playpad app, supporting therapy for children with autism, and earlier work on surveillance data contributed to the creation of a “virtual observer” used following the 2005 London bombings.

In addition to her research, she founded SPARK Deakin in 2015, SPARK Deakin, Deakin University’s flagship entrepreneurship program supporting innovation and startup development.