TOMRA Spotlight

Mahla Nejati - Senior Data Scientist at TOMRA Food, Auckland, New Zealand

"What I enjoy most about working at TOMRA is the supportive environment. I love solving customer problems, it's rewarding to see them happy. I also enjoy the research side, taking complex challenges and seeing real-world results from my work."

Mahla Nejati, Senior Data Scientist

Meet Mahla

Mahla joined TOMRA last year, transitioning from academia to industry. With a background in orchard robotics, she was eager to explore the post-harvest journey of fruit, and TOMRA provided the
perfect opportunity.

What she does

At TOMRA, Mahla works primarily with large fruits like citrus, developing advanced defect detection systems that help packhouses sort products more efficiently and accurately. She focuses on
building and refining fruit grading models, collaborating with teams and customers worldwide to ensure our solutions are robust, data-driven, and effective.

Living our values

The TOMRA value Mahla connects with most is Innovation, as she’s passionate about solving real-world problems through research and turning ideas into impactful solutions. 

Life outside TOMRA

Something not everyone knows about Mahla is that, back in high school, she earned a gold medal in Kung Fu. 

Advice to others

“Build a strong foundation in data science, computer vision, and machine learning. Stay curious, embrace challenges, and never stop learning.”