University of New Orleans student Manisha Panta, a doctoral candidate in computer science, has been offered a job at Intuit, the maker of the popular tax preparation software TurboTax. Panta will complete her program and graduate this summer.

Panta’s doctoral research focuses on using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect faults in levee structures in near real-time to improve their safety and reliability. She was offered a permanent position at Intuit after completing two successful summer internships with the company.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to begin my professional career as a senior data scientist at Intuit and continue making meaningful contributions to the field of AI,” Panta said. “It is a company that values diversity, innovation, and collaboration, and I look forward to bringing my unique perspective and expertise to this new role at Intuit.”

Panta will begin her new role at Intuit's Mountain View, California office.

“I am grateful to my supervisors and the University of New Orleans computer science department for providing me with unwavering support throughout my academic journey,” Panta said.

Panta’s dissertation is jointly supervised by Mahdi Abdelguerfi, professor and chair of computer science, and Tamjid Hoque, associate professor of computer science. Her research is closely coordinated with domain experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“UNO’s computer science department continues to be the leading pipeline of information technology professionals in the greater New Orleans area,” Abdelguerfi said. “Our graduates have also gone on to excel nationally with leading corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Netflix, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, to name a few.”