Harold Wareham

Dr. Harold Wareham is a tenured Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Faculty of Science. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Victoria and has been at MUN since 1999, advancing through roles including Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. His research focuses on computational complexity theory applied to cognitive science, robotics, and computational biology. He has served on numerous academic committees and international conference program committees.

Education: B.Sc. (Computer Science) and B.A. (Linguistics/Mathematics) from MUN, followed by an M.Sc. in Computational Biology and a Ph.D. in Parameterized Complexity in Computational Phonology from the University of Victoria.

Research Interests

• Computational complexity of cognitive processes
• Algorithm design for robotics and swarm control
• Parameterized complexity in biological systems
• Machine learning interpretability

Recent Work Trends

Recent publications emphasize applying complexity theory to AI interpretability (e.g., neural network reverse-engineering) and cognitive science (segmentation processes). His robotics research explores algorithmic foundations for swarm construction tasks. He also investigates computational challenges in software reconfiguration and modularization.

Awards

• 2017 Best Professor Award (MUN CS Graduate Society)
• Teaching Fellow at Radboud University (2014–)
• F. A. Aldrich Alumni Graduate Scholarship (1989)

Grants & Advising

Has supervised numerous courses across undergraduate and graduate levels, including AI topics, computational biology, and theoretical computer science. Active in grant review roles for NSERC and international funding bodies. Served on MUN committees for promotion, tenure, and graduate studies.

Labs & Collaborations

Associated with the MUN CS Theory Group and the Bio-inspired Robotics (BOTS) Lab. Collaborates internationally on projects like the Dagstuhl Complexity Workshops and cognitive science initiatives.