Australian Defence Industry Awards’ Rising Star of the Year, Gitarth Vaishnav

Defence & Security Podcast Network

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by the Australian Defence Industry Awards’ Rising Star of the Year, Gitarth Vaishnav, to discuss the inspiring award and his efforts as a software engineer in the sensor fusion team at DroneShield headquarters in Sydney.

The University of Technology Sydney graduate, who was recognised as the AI Rising Star of the Year at the Australian AI Awards in 2024, has completed a bachelor of computing science (honours) and holds a major in artificial intelligence and data analytics.

The pair discuss a range of topics regarding the defence industry and engineering, including:

• Vaishnav’s experience winning the Rising Star of the Year award and the acknowledgement of the entire defence industry at ADIA in Canberra.
• His thoughts regarding the evolution of drone and counter-drone technology internationally and domestically.
• His keen interest in programming and microcontrollers during high school and a chance meeting with DroneShield leadership while he was studying at UTS in Sydney.
• Vaishnav’s mentors and the people who have inspired and helped along the way at DroneShield.

The pair wrap up the podcast discussing personal challenges and plans for the future.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team