Taniya Mishra, PhD

Taniya Mishra, PhD - CEO & Founder of SureStart

Taniya Mishra, PhD: is an experienced computer scientist, AI researcher, and entrepreneur who is the CEO and Founder of SureStart, an AI talent incubator mission-driven to increase AI workforce diversity.13

Prior to founding SureStart in September 2020, Mishra held various technical and leadership roles at companies like AT&T Labs, Affectiva, and Interactions over her 12+ year career in the tech industry.1 She has published many peer-reviewed articles, holds 88+ patents, and has been featured in press articles in publications like Fortune, MIT Technology Review, NBC Learn and The Atlantic.1

Mishra's passion lies in using her skills in computer science and machine learning to mentor and build up the next generation of diverse AI leaders.12 Her mentorship efforts have been recognized with awards such as the AT&T Research Labs Vice President's Award for Mentorship 2011, WomenTech Mentor of the Year Award 2020, and the WomenTech Network Global AI Inclusion Award of the Year 2021.1

As an experienced AI researcher, Mishra's work has focused on developing techniques for estimating human emotion from speech using machine learning, computer vision and speech processing.1 She regularly speaks at leading conferences on topics related to AI technical developments, ethical AI, and diversity in the AI workforce.1

Most recently, Mishra was recognized as a Leading Woman in AI by Nasdaq and invited to ring the opening bell to celebrate her contributions to the field of AI.1