Ashir Mohabir is an Intermediate Frontend Developer at DVT, a Dynamic Technologies group company, building web applications for his client. As part of the DVT Graduate Programme, Mohabir was first introduced to DVT while studying at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
The university hosts a day annually to showcase the final year undergrads’ and honours students’ projects. One of the judges was Jaco van der Merwe, CEO of DVT, who asked Mohabir what he was planning to do the next year and then suggested he join DVT. “I agreed and about five minutes later Rose Allen-Richards, DVT’s People and Culture Manager, contacted me about joining the DVT Graduate Programme. I have been with DVT for almost three years now.”
Mohabir has found his groove at DVT and is growing professionally and personally thanks to the support and culture at the company. “The culture at DVT is hands down among the best I’ve come across. It’s one of the few places where everyone is accessible, regardless of their position or seniority. Whether you’re a graduate or cadet just starting out or someone established in the company, you can speak to anyone. As someone who’s an introvert and generally finds it difficult to communicate with others, the warm, nurturing, and friendly atmosphere made it easy for me to talk to others and come out of my shell.”
This approach to diversity by inclusion has created a company culture that values the individual. “DVT fosters an environment where all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, identities, or perspectives, feel welcomed and empowered to contribute,” says Mohabir. “It goes beyond recognising differences to intentionally integrating and embracing them in ways that enhance collaboration, creativity and equity. It means recognising that diversity requires purposeful actions to include underrepresented or marginalised groups in processes, decisions and opportunities.”
That support allowed Mohabir’s paper, titled ‘Preventing Model Poisoning through Artificial Immune Networks’, to be accepted by the 5th International Conference on Data Engineering and Communication Technology 2024. Mohabir’s paper was based on research he did for his master’s dissertation at UJ. Access to colleagues who were willing to discuss his ideas, share their knowledge and support his endeavour were instrumental in the paper’s success.
Mohabir believes that data poisoning and ways to combat or protect against it are increasingly important topics across the IT field. “In data poisoning attacks, adversaries inject malicious data into the training dataset to manipulate the model’s learning process,” explains Mohabir. “Model poisoning takes place when tampered or false data is given to the model learning from this data. False-positive recognition leads to a bigger problem as bad actors can leverage these flaws in the artificial intelligence (AI) model and corrupt or contaminate the model.”
It’s a serious concern, particularly as AI becomes more integrated into business processes. He says, “When a model is poisoned, bad actors can send harmful data through the network and the detection system will register it as safe. This allows the bad actors to damage the network, access sensitive data and lower the effectiveness of the intelligent agent or model. Once a model is compromised, adversaries can exploit this vulnerability to infiltrate networks, compromise sensitive data and undermine the effectiveness of the defence mechanisms in place.”
In his paper, Mohabir identifies artificial immune networks as a type of artificial immune system inspired by biological immune systems, and designed to solve complex problems such as optimisation, pattern recognition and anomaly detection. It’s a smart, flexible and adaptable solution to what could become a widespread problem. Mohabir knows that responding to potential threats and taking proactive action can mitigate potential negative side effects of AI, protecting the benefits this technology brings to business.
For Mohabir, there’s a joy in research and problem solving that not everyone shares. There’s plenty more up this young man’s sleeve, and he has the goals to prove it. He says, “I’m taking a bit of a break from academia and then will return in a few years. One of my goals is to get my PhD, so that’s something I will focus on in the future. I will also write more papers for other conferences around the world, and if they are accepted, I will travel to present them.”
DVT has been instrumental in Mohabir’s ongoing studies, as well as his work in a field that will certainly impact their own business in the not-too-distant future. Mohabir says, “My DVT colleagues have supported me in achieving my master’s degree and they cheered me on, especially when I could not see the finish line. It often felt as if I was facing a massive mountain but having people to talk to about the challenges made it easier.”
Identifying young talent is one of the tenets of the DVT Graduate Programme, along with nurturing and developing that talent. It’s safe to say that this is one of their success stories.