Kathryn Kasmarik

Professor Kathryn Kasmarik is a distinguished academic at the University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW Canberra), where she serves in the School of Systems & Computing as a Professor of Computer Science. She has held significant leadership positions including Deputy Head of School (Teaching) for the School of Engineering and IT from 2018-2021 and Head of School (Acting) establishing the new School of Systems and Computing at UNSW Canberra from 2023-2024.

Her research interests focus on building swarming robots that can evolve their own collective behaviors, with extensive work in artificial intelligence, swarm robotics, and human-swarm interaction. As co-founder of the UNSW Canberra AIR (AI and Robotics) Group, she leads cutting-edge research in autonomous systems. Her technical expertise spans Python, Java, and MATLAB programming, Android application development, artificial neural networks, reinforcement learning, game theory, and swarm intelligence algorithms.

Professor Kasmarik's publication record shows a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated swarm robotics applications, with recent work focusing on deep reinforcement learning for collective motion, human-swarm interaction interfaces, and practical applications in environmental monitoring and industrial settings. Her research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between computer science, cognitive psychology, and engineering applications.

She has received research funding from prestigious organizations including the Australian Research Council and Defence Science and Technology Group, supporting her work on swarm robotics and AI applications.

Professor Kasmarik has demonstrated strong leadership in academic administration, transitioning from Deputy Head of School to establishing a new School of Systems and Computing. Her teaching experience includes innovative approaches to computer science education, as evidenced by her early work on puzzle-based learning for introductory computer science courses.

Her laboratory work centers around the AIR Lab (air-cbr.github.io), where her team develops and tests swarm robotics systems with applications ranging from environmental sensing to military applications.