First PitchFest winner announced at AI UK 2023

We’re delighted to announce that Maria Delgado-Ortet, a Turing Enrichment student, is the winner of the inaugural PitchFest, hosted at AI UK 2023. Maria presented her work on using AI-powered image analysis to improve detection and prediction of ovarian cancer.

Each of the six finalists had just 90 seconds to present their research to a panel of industry judges and an enthusiastic AI UK audience. The winner was then voted for live by the audience.

Maria is based at the University of Cambridge, where her PhD is focusing on the application of AI to detect ovarian cancer in computerised tomography (CT) scans. Around 7,500 women are diagnosed with this form of cancer in the UK each year, and catching it early can greatly improve prognosis. Ultimately, the aim is to be able to use this technology to not only detect tumours but also predict their response to treatment – allowing doctors to design the best tailored therapy for each patient.

“Taking part in PitchFest has been such a memorable experience,” says Maria. “I feel so humbled, thankful and honoured to have received this prize. Myself and the other finalists received nothing but positive feedback from the audience, and we realised that our research has real interests beyond the walls of our laboratories.”

Contestants had to make sure that their pitch was accessible to the wide range of attendees at AI UK, and that it highlighted the real-world applications and future directions of their research. As well as competing for the coveted PitchFest trophy, all finalists received a mentoring session from the Turing’s Research Application Management team, who organised PitchFest and play a crucial role at the Turing by helping to adapt research outputs for real-world use while ensuring openness and reproducibility.

Alongside Maria, this year’s finalists were:

• Thao Do (Enrichment Student) – Using AI to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia.
   
• Roxana Pop (Enrichment Student) – From neural network models to logical programs.
   
• Aras Selvi (Enrichment Student) – Maximising the intelligence of privacy-preserving AI.
   
• Samuel Tonks (Enrichment Student) – Scivisionaries assemble!
   
• Saba Esnaashari (Research Assistant, AI for public services team) – Using algorithms to enhance allocation of scarce public resources.

The five judges for the event were Simon Reeve (Director of Innovation, The Alan Turing Institute), Esra Kasapoglu (Director of AI and Data Economy, UKRI), Jan Przydatek (Director of Technologies, Lloyd’s Register Foundation), Gavin Stephenson (Managing Director, Accenture Analytics) and Anna Brailsford (CEO, Code First Girls).

“All the finalists did a fantastic job with their pitches,” said Simon Reeve. “They communicated their technical ideas in clear and engaging language, demonstrating the real-world applications of their work. I look forward to seeing what they do next. Well done to all!”

Stay tuned to the Turing’s YouTube channel for a full recording of the session.