Hōtaka programme and participants for Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand 2026.
Hōtaka Programme
Te Rā – When: Tuesday 23 June 2026
Te Wāhi – Where: Royal Society Te Apārangi, 11 Turnbull Street, Thorndon, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
| 9.30am |
Arrival and registration for presenters |
| 10.30 |
Presenters briefing |
| 11.00 |
Jury briefing |
| 11.30 |
Mihi welcome and introductory remarks |
| 11.45 |
Pitch presentations 1-10 |
| 12.45pm |
Kai a te rānui | Lunch |
| 1.30 |
Pitch presentations 11-20 |
| 2.30 |
Networking break / Kaiwhakawā Jury evaluation session |
| 4.15 |
Award ceremony / Group photo and closing remarks |
| 4.30–6.00 |
Networking and connecting reception
Karakia whakamutunga | event closing blessing |
Participants
Pitch presentation order
| Order |
Name |
Organisation |
Title |
| 1 |
Dr Anindita Sen |
Te Herenga Waka —Victoria University of Wellington |
Breaking the Wall of Undetectable Drug Harm |
| 2 |
Dr Judy Ann Cocadiz |
University of Otago |
Breaking the Wall of Late Cancer Detection |
| 3 |
Dr Ravneil Nand |
University of the South Pacific |
Breaking the Wall of Digital Divides |
| 4 |
Dr Abdollah Baghaei Daemei |
University of Canterbury |
Breaking the Wall of Unhealthy Homes |
| 5 |
Dr Annal Dhungana |
Massey University |
Breaking the Wall of Uncertainty Communication
|
| 6 |
Mr Mohamed Salman Mohamed Haniff |
University of Auckland |
Breaking the Wall of Shellfish Seed Losses |
| 7 |
Mr Romain Meot |
New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science |
Breaking the Wall of Resilience in Forestry |
| 8 |
Ms Shamirah Nabbosa |
Massey University |
Breaking the Wall of Stroke Disability |
| 9 |
Dr Hadee Thompson-Morrison |
New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science |
Breaking the Wall of Nitrous Oxide Emissions |
| 10 |
Mr Yousif Badri |
University of Auckland |
Breaking the Wall of Sound with Granular Media |
| 11 |
Mr Shubham Tiwari |
University of Waikato |
Breaking the Wall of Cyclone-Resilient Roofing |
| 12 |
Mr Joshua Anto |
University of Auckland |
Breaking the Wall of Orbital Limits |
| 13 |
Dr Aylin Şen |
Riddet Institute |
Breaking the Wall of Dairy Using Plants |
| 14 |
Ms Tess Austin |
Auckland University of Technology |
Breaking the Wall of Invisible Isolation |
| 15 |
Ms Manpreet Kaur |
University of Auckland |
Breaking the Wall of Baby Movement Screening |
| 16 |
Ms Kiruthigadevi Kamaraj |
Vellore Institute of Technology |
Breaking the Wall of Fuel Production |
| 17 |
Ms Huyen My Nguyen |
University of Canterbury |
Breaking the Wall of Face Recognition
|
| 18 |
Dr Lea Dasallas |
University of Canterbury |
Breaking the Wall of Urban Flood Prediction |
| 19 |
Mr Jainesh Ram |
University of the South Pacific |
Breaking the Wall of Invisible Pest Barriers |
| 20 |
Mr Navaneeth Rajendran |
University of Waikato |
Breaking the Wall of Industrial Cyber Defence |
Kaitautoko Partners
Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand is hosted by the Royal Society Te Apārangi with support from the German Embassy in Wellington, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and EURAXESS Australia & New Zealand.
