Community & Events
Talks, panels, meetups, conferences, and the occasional social — recent first. For slides,
recordings, or photos, use the request link on each event.
Oct 2026 meetup
First Wellington Apache Airflow® Meetup
Te Toki a Rata Building, Victoria University of Wellington · New Zealand Apache Airflow Meetup
I'm co-hosting the first Wellington Apache Airflow meetup on 29 October 2026, an evening of talks and networking for Airflow users and data engineers. Kieran Hume (Chorus) will speak on "Why I don't think about Airflow," and Yan Dai (Deloitte) will walk through orchestrating a document AI pipeline with Airflow, from raw files to validated knowledge.
Sept 2026 talk
The Future of AI Careers: From Technical Skills to Real-World Impact
Victoria University of Wellington · IEEE Young Professionals, NZ Central Section
I spoke at this IEEE Young Professionals seminar at Victoria University of Wellington, alongside Asad Moin (Bastion Security) and Dr. Kaan Demir (Accenture). I opened with joining Wētā FX as a rookie who knew nothing about VFX: I started small, reading alerts, fixing what I could, and asking a lot of questions. The core message: a job isn't the only place to get experience. Find a real problem, keep asking why until you truly understand it, and put your work where people can see it. Find one thing. Do it well. Do it publicly.
May 2026 panel
From Study/Research to Industry
Victoria University of Wellington · IEEE Young Professionals, NZ Central Section
Hosted by IEEE Young Professionals at Victoria University of Wellington, this panel brought together students, researchers, and industry professionals to discuss career pathways, workplace expectations, and the practical skills needed to move from academia into industry. I joined Dr. Harisu Abdullahi Shehu, Dr. Kaan Demir, and Dr. Shima Afzaali as panelists, with support from IEEE NZ Central Section and CDSAI.
