Two weeks until 2023 Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand

Coming from as far away as Fiji, participants will have the opportunity to showcase their innovative research, scientific idea, or evidence-based initiative, and how it could make a difference for society in a three-minute presentation.

The winning pitch will have the chance to represent the region and compete at the Falling Walls Lab Global Finale in Berlin.

This year’s participants and their topics for Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand are:

Ashlee Berryman, University of Otago
Breaking the Wall of Endometriosis

Benjamín Durán-Vinet, University of Otago
Breaking the Wall of Marine Biomonitoring

Dr Brittany Park, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Elderly Surgical Recovery

Bryann Avendano, University of Canterbury
Breaking the Wall of Resilience Planning

Dr Christopher Erwin, Auckland University of Technology
Breaking the Wall of Quantitative Intersectionality

Dr Debashree Roy, Riddet Institute, Massey University
Breaking the Wall of Plant-based Cheeses

Dr Emily O’Riordan, Bodeker Scientific
Breaking the Wall of Extreme Weather Forecasting

Jihwi Jang, University of Canterbury
Breaking the Wall of Nitrate Removal via Tree

Jildou van der Werf, University of Otago
Breaking the Wall of Personalised Cancer Treatment

Dr Kristin Bohm, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd
Breaking the Wall of Wasting our Waste

Krzysztof Maliszewski, University of Canterbury
Breaking the Wall of Medical Imaging Limits

Lysea Haggie, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Brain and Body

Matthew French, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Breast Cancer Treatment

Minh Chau (Max) Dang Vu, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Breast Cancer Visualisation

Dr Morehu McDonald, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Breaking the Wall of Genocide and Colonialism

Reeha Sharma, University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Breaking the Wall of Plastic Based Pollution

Dr Robyn May, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Newborn Digital Twins

Savindi Wijenayaka, The University of Auckland
Breaking the Wall of Gut Microstructures

Shallu Verma, University of Canterbury
Breaking the Wall of Illicit Drugs Analysis

Sherry Feng, Auckland University of Technology
Breaking the Wall of Bias in AI

Tejesvi Patel, University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Breaking the Wall of Infection Using PVP/TA

Vitor Geniselli da Silva, Riddet Institute, Massey University
Breaking the Wall of the Infant Microbiome

The winners will be selected by the Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand jury:

• Professor Phil Lester, Insect Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington (Jury Chair)
• Associate Professor Riz Firestone, Associate Professor and Senior Research Officer, Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University
• Associate Professor Alex Gavryushkin, Biological Data Science Lab, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury
• Chris Karamea Insley, Chair and Executive Director at Te Arawa Fisheries Group, Chair of Te Taumata and a Member of the APEC2021 Business Leadership Group
• Veronika Meduna, New Zealand Editor for The Conversation
• Monique Surges, CEO of the German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (GNZCC)

View more on Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand jury members. 

Media and members of the public are invited to attend the event in person or via livestream.

More about Falling Walls Lab

Falling Walls Lab events are held in numerous countries worldwide.  The winners of these Lab competitions are automatically admitted to the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Germany in November each year where they will again pitch their idea to a jury of distinguished academics and businesspeople.

The Falling Walls Foundation is a non-profit organisation in Berlin, dedicated to the support of science and the humanities. It was established in 2009, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. At its heart is the question ‘Which are the next walls to fall?’ because of scientific, technological, economic, and sociological breakthroughs.

Visit www.falling-walls.com/lab