Dr. Nicole Lesley Gardner is a Registered Architect (NSW ARB 7921) and Program Director of Computational Design at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney . Her interdisciplinary research examines digital transformation in architecture, urban technology, and the ethics of smart cities. A Chief Investigator for the $9M Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centre , she has led multiple Commonwealth-funded grants and co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications. Education: PhD in Architecture (UTS 2018), Bachelor of Architecture (Adelaide 2000), Bachelor of Design Studies (Adelaide 1998) Leadership: Chair of CAADRIA 2024 , co-editor of CAADRIA Post-Carbon proceedings (2022) Research Interests span computational design, smart city paradigms, and digital transformation in the AEC sector. Her work integrates ethical frameworks, gender dynamics, and material innovation in urban technology, with a focus on practice-based design research and industry collaboration. Scientific Awards : ADA Faculty Research Fellowship (2021-2022)
Dr. Da Chen is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on composite structures, material mechanics, and structural analysis with applications in mechanical and civil engineering. Key Research Areas: Functionally graded porous materials, graphene reinforcement, multiscale modeling, thermal buckling, vibration analysis, and additive manufacturing. Publications: 28 journal articles, 4 book chapters, and 4 conference papers since 2014. Recent work includes machine learning applications for structural analysis and inverse design of porous systems. Email: d.chen@uq.edu.au
Krishna Dermawan is a PhD Researcher at The University of Queensland, focusing on improving sepsis management through data-driven approaches and rapid learning. He joined the Centre in February 2022 and is affiliated with both UQ and Queensland Health. Education: First Class Honours from UNSW Awards: Vice Chancellor’s Award for Tutoring Professional Experience: Former Head of Analytics at Tokopedia, with roles in finance, tourism, and e-commerce sectors His research bridges academic and industry expertise, leveraging data analytics to enhance healthcare outcomes and pedagogical practices. Krishna collaborates closely with supervisors Professor Marta Indulska, Dr Ida Asadi Someh, Professor Andrew Burton-Jones, and Dr Adam Irwin (Queensland Health) to address critical challenges in sepsis management.
Kenneth W Church is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Northeastern University. He received his PhD from MIT in 1983 and has held positions at AT&T Bell Labs (20 years), Microsoft, Johns Hopkins University, IBM, and Baidu. He is the founder of VecML, a startup focused on vectors, machine learning, and approximate nearest neighbors for AI applications. His research focuses on computational linguistics and large language models (LLMs), with applications including web search, language modeling, text analysis, spelling correction, word-sense disambiguation, terminology, translation, lexicography, compression, optical character recognition, speech recognition, synthesis, and diarization. He was an early advocate of empirical methods and founded the Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP). ACM Fellow (2023) ACL Fellow (2015) AT&T Fellow (2001) President of ACL (2012) President of ACL SIGDAT (1993-2011) He teaches courses including CS6120: Practical Natural Language Processing and CS7290 at Northeastern University. As founder of VecML, he develops products for search, machine learning, chat, RAG and agentive systems available on mobile platforms.
Dr. Danda B. Rawat is a Full Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies at Howard University's College of Engineering and Architecture. He serves as Director of multiple research centers including the Howard University Data Science and Cybersecurity Center (DSC2), DoD Center of Excellence in AI/ML, and Cyber-security and Wireless Networking Innovations (CWiNs) Research Lab. His work focuses on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and wireless networking for emerging systems like cyber-physical systems, IoT, and smart cities. Dr. Rawat earned his Ph.D. from Old Dominion University and has secured over $110 million in research funding as a principal investigator. His expertise spans integrating machine learning with cybersecurity, wireless virtualization, and trustworthy AI for multi-domain applications. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, ACM Distinguished Speaker, and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). His awards include the NSF CAREER Award, DHS Scientific Leadership Award, and Howard University's Graduate Faculty Exemplar Award. Dr. Rawat has delivered over 100 keynotes and served as an editor for 100+ journals, including IEEE Transactions on Big Data and IEEE Internet of Things Journal. NSF CAREER Award (2016) DHS Scientific Leadership Award (2017) Presidents’ Medal of Achievement (2023) Best Paper Awards at IEEE CCNC, ICII, and BWCA conferences Dr. Rawat mentors 25 Ph.D. students and 3 postdocs, and has graduated 40 Ph.D. students (28 under-represented) and 120+ minority undergraduates. His research is supported by $90 million from the DoD for tactical autonomy and $3.75 million NSF funding for AI-driven cybermanufacturing.
Professor Bruce Abernethy is Executive Director of UQ's Engagement with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, following his tenure as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences (2014-2023) at the University of Queensland. His academic leadership includes previous roles as Deputy Executive Dean, Associate Dean (Research), and Head of the School of Human Movement Studies (1991-2003). He also served as inaugural Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong's Institute of Human Performance (2004-2011). His educational background includes First Class Honours and University Medallist status from the University of Queensland, complemented by a PhD from the University of Otago. Professional recognition includes Fellowships from the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Australian Sports Medicine Federation, and Exercise and Sport Science Australia. Abernethy's research centers on the interdisciplinary study of skilled movement control and acquisition, bridging human movement science, experimental psychology, neuroscience, and medical sciences. His work investigates expert perception and production of human movement patterns, with particular focus on deception detection in sports, visual-motor expertise, and fundamental movement skills development. This spans applications from elite athletic performance to pediatric movement disorders. Analysis of his recent publications reveals sustained focus on perceptual-cognitive aspects of sport expertise, with recurring themes in deception detection (particularly in football/cricket), gaze behavior analysis, and perceptual training methodologies. His work increasingly integrates interdisciplinary approaches across motor control, cognitive psychology, and sports biomechanics, with strong emphasis on practical applications for athletic training and movement rehabilitation. International Fellow, American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education Fellow, Australian Sports Medicine Federation Fellow, Exercise and Sport Science Australia University Medallist, University of Queensland Professor Abernethy has supervised eight PhD candidates to completion between 2003-2022, with research spanning cricket batting expertise, perceptual training, and movement disorders. His funding portfolio demonstrates exceptional grant acquisition success, including sustained support from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (1997-2019), Australian Research Council (multiple projects 1995-2011), Australian Football League, Australian Sports Commission, and Hong Kong Research Grants Council. Current engagement with the 2032 Games represents strategic alignment of his expertise with major international sporting events. His research is conducted through the Centre for Extracellular Vesicle Nanomedicine within UQ's Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across sports science, psychology, and medical research domains. This network supports his translational research from basic motor control principles to applied sporting and clinical contexts.
Dr. Justin Brienza is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Business, University of Queensland , where he teaches Organisational Behaviour , Manager Skills/Contemporary Business Communication , and Wise Leadership . Previously, he taught at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. Education: Honors Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence and Psychology at University of Toronto Masters and PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at University of Waterloo His research focuses on wisdom and wise reasoning in complex social problems, reducing bias, and developing balanced decision-making. Topics span interpersonal cooperation , organizational dynamics , and AI ethics , with applications in leadership , conflict resolution , and social equity . His recent publications analyze self-control perception, gender pay gaps, and Indigenous conflict management frameworks. Justin Brienza has received the Kellogg School of Management's Dispute Resolution Center Scholar Award . His work appears in Nature Human Behaviour , Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , and Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom . He serves as a peer reviewer for journals like Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology , and his research has been featured in TIME , NewsWeek , and Science Magazine .
Dr. Amandine Schaeffer is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney's School of Mathematics & Statistics, specializing in physical oceanography, marine heatwaves, and jellyfish trajectory modeling. Her research integrates mathematical tools with observational data to study coastal dynamics, boundary currents, and climate extremes. PhD in Physical Oceanography (2010), Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography MSc in Physical Oceanography (2006), University of Toulon Masters in Marine Engineering (2006), SeaTech, Toulon Her research focuses on the East Australian Current's influence on marine heatwaves, submesoscale eddies, and bluebottle drift dynamics. By analyzing HF radar data, Lagrangian drifters, and glider observations, she explores how ocean stratification, wind forcing, and boundary current variability shape coastal climate extremes and ecological processes. The 15 most recent publications reveal trends in marine heatwave drivers, biophysical interactions in boundary currents, and jellyfish transport mechanisms. Key keywords span physical oceanography, climate science, and marine ecology, with sub-fields like eddy dynamics, coastal upwelling, and ocean observing systems. She supervises PhD students Youstina Elzahaby (marine heatwaves), Daniel Lee (bluebottle drift), and Natacha Bourg (boundary current dispersion). Her teaching includes mathematics and statistics courses for life sciences, as well as specialized marine science topics. As leader of the BluebottleWatch project, she bridges academic research with public safety initiatives, leveraging UNSW's oceanographic expertise to address coastal hazards through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Dr. Lorenzo Vigentini serves as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science and Engineering Department within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). With a background spanning psychology, higher education teaching, and extensive IT/e-learning experience, he contributes significantly to the academic community through his expertise at the intersection of cognitive psychology, differential psychology, education, and human-computer interaction. Vigentini's research focuses on learning processes, particularly examining how technology interacts with learning and the human-machine interface. His work emphasizes data-driven approaches to understanding educational patterns, with special interest in Learning Analytics and Educational Data Mining. He has led the development of the Learning Analytics and Educational Data Science research group at UNSW, positioning himself at the forefront of educational innovation. His research interests span technology evolution, student experience enhancement, Quality Assurance processes, and Quality Enhancement in educational contexts. Vigentini's publication record demonstrates consistent focus on learning analytics applications across educational contexts, with recent work examining dashboard development for both secondary schools and higher education institutions. His research shows a clear progression from theoretical frameworks to practical implementations, particularly in MOOC analytics and personalized learning support systems. His work bridges the gap between educational theory and technological implementation, with an increasing emphasis on institutional adoption of data-driven approaches. As a research leader, Vigentini has secured multiple significant grants totaling over AUD 1.9 million, including a major AUD 1.2 million UNSW 'Students as Partners' program in 2018. His grant history reflects a consistent focus on educational innovation, learning analytics implementation, and student experience enhancement across different educational contexts and platforms. Dr. Vigentini has established the Learning Analytics and Educational Data Science research group at UNSW, creating a collaborative environment for exploring data-driven approaches to education. His work integrates quantitative and qualitative methodologies to develop comprehensive understanding of learning processes and technological interventions in educational settings.
Associate Professor Melrose Brown is a faculty member at UNSW Canberra, School of Engineering and Technology, where he leads numerical space situational awareness research and coordinates the Space Masters program. He holds advanced degrees in Aerospace Engineering and specializes in applying high-fidelity simulations to satellite-environment interactions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Research Focus: DSMC/PIC simulations for LEO satellites Orbit propagation and determination Ionospheric drag modeling Atmospheric physics Hypersonic CFD His recent publications analyze thermospheric responses to geomagnetic storms using GITM-OVATION models, ionospheric drag effects, and numerical tools like pdFOAM. Key keywords include Space Weather, Satellite Formation Control, and Computational Fluid Dynamics. He supervises Ph.D. projects related to aerospace engineering and offers scholarships for research in LEO dynamics. His work involves collaborations on CubeSat missions (e.g., M2) and space traffic management systems.
Associate Professor Xiuping Jia is a faculty member at the School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales at Canberra, Australia. She has been with the institution since 1988, holding the position of Associate Professor with expertise in remote sensing and image processing. Xiuping Jia earned her B.Eng. degree from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in January 1982. She later completed her Ph.D. in electrical engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from The University of New South Wales, Australia, in 1996 and 2005, respectively, through part-time study. Her primary research interests focus on remote sensing , hyperspectral image processing , and spatial data analysis for remote sensing applications. Her work spans various aspects of image processing including image registration, image correction, feature mining and learning, and spectral-spatial based classification. She has made significant contributions to subpixel mapping through spectral unmixing techniques and super resolution reconstruction approaches. Professor Jia is the coauthor of the widely recognized textbook Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis (Springer-Verlag, 3rd and 4th editions) and the author of Field Guide to Hyperspectral/Multispectral Image Processing (SPIE, 2022). Her recent publication record shows a strong focus on deep learning applications for hyperspectral image analysis, with numerous papers in top journals including IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, and IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. Her work demonstrates a progression from traditional image processing techniques to cutting-edge deep learning approaches for remote sensing applications. Professor Jia has made substantial contributions to the field of remote sensing with highly cited publications (as evidenced by her Google Scholar profile). Her research bridges theoretical developments with practical applications in remote sensing data analysis. She has supervised numerous research projects and students in the areas of remote sensing, hyperspectral image processing, and spatial data analysis. Her work has been supported by various research grants focusing on advanced image processing techniques for remote sensing applications. Professor Jia's research activities involve collaboration with multiple research teams working on remote sensing applications, hyperspectral data analysis, and geospatial information systems. Her work contributes significantly to the advancement of remote sensing technologies and their practical implementation in various environmental and urban monitoring applications.
Professor Aruna Prasad Seneviratne serves as the Foundation Professor of Telecommunications at the University of New South Wales (Australia), where he holds the prestigious Mahanakorn Chair of Telecommunications. He is currently the Research Director for the Cyber Physical Systems Research Program within Data61, following the merger of NICTA with CSIRO. Previously, he directed the Australian Technology Park Laboratory of NICTA and led their Networked Systems research activities. Professor Seneviratne's research focuses on physical analytics - technologies enabling applications to interact intelligently and securely with their environment in real time. His recent work includes behavioral biometrics, wearable device optimization, and IoT system verification. His extensive publication record spans cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, communications engineering, and mobile technologies, with particular emphasis on integrated communications and sensing systems. His scholarly contributions include over 180 refereed technical papers and book chapters, reflecting his leadership in telecommunications and networked systems research. Professor Seneviratne's work demonstrates a consistent trajectory toward developing practical solutions for next-generation digital services and security frameworks. His scientific recognition includes prestigious fellowships at British Telecom and Telecom Australia Research Labs, underscoring his industry impact alongside academic contributions. Professor Seneviratne has supervised 30 PhD dissertations throughout his career, mentoring the next generation of telecommunications researchers. His leadership extends to directing major research initiatives at NICTA and Data61, where he has guided the development of new technologies for establishing trust, energy-efficient content storage, search, and distribution within digital economies. His laboratory work centers on the Cyber Physical Systems Research Program at Data61, where his team develops innovative approaches to secure and intelligent interaction between digital systems and physical environments.
Professor Sanjay K. Jha is a faculty member at UNSW Sydney , serving as a full Professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering since 2006. He currently holds the position of Director of Research and Innovation at the school and has previously served as Interim Director , Research Director , and Chief Scientist of the UNSW Institute for Cybersecurity (IFCYBER) . He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Technology, Sydney , Australia, and has published over 300 articles in high-quality journals and conferences. His research focuses on Cybersecurity , particularly at the intersection of networking (wired/wireless) and security. Key areas include: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Generative AI for Voice Cloning Wired and Wireless Network Security Security of Mobile Devices, Body-worn Devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) Application Security He has supervised 32 PhD candidates to graduation and currently co-supervises additional students with other faculty members. His leadership in research is complemented by roles as a consultant for organizations like Canon Research Lab, DSTO, Lucent, Fujitsu, and Mitsubishi, as well as visiting positions at institutions such as Columbia University, IIT-Bombay, Oxford University, and CSIRO ICT Center.
Professor Gang-Ding Peng is a leading academic in photonics and optical communications at the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications , University of New South Wales (UNSW). With over three decades of experience, his research focuses on silica and polymer optical fibers, fiber lasers, sensors, and photonic signal processing. Education: B.Sc. in Physics (1982, Fudan University), M.Sc. in Applied Physics (1984), Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering (1987, both Shanghai Jiao Tong University) Career: Lecturer at Shanghai Jiao Tong (1987-1988), Postdoctoral Fellow at Australian National University (1988-1991), UNSW Faculty since 1991, Queen Elizabeth II Fellow (1992-1996) Research Interests: Specialized in specialty optical fibers, nonlinear optics, and photonic devices. His work spans: Silica and polymer fiber amplifiers/lasers Electro-optic and liquid-crystal-doped fibers Multi-core fiber Bragg grating systems Photonic crystal fiber sensing 3D-printed optical components Quantum and neuromorphic photonic applications Scientific Awards: Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship (1992-1996) Fellow and Life Member of OSA & SPIE Supervision: Active mentor in Bi/Er co-doped fibers, 3D-printed optical fibers, and fiber sensing technologies.
Dr Yunong Yuan is a Postdoctoral Researcher in BIENCO (Bioengineering Human Cornea) at the School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney. He is affiliated with The Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation and actively contributes to bioengineering research. Research Interests: Biomaterials development for drug delivery and tissue engineering 3D bioprinting applications in biomedical contexts Machine learning integration in pharmaceutical modeling Sustainable material utilization from silk byproducts Oxygen-releasing medical devices for wound healing Microneedle-based transdermal delivery systems Recent Publications Trends: Focus on innovative biomaterials, 3D printing technologies for drug discovery, and computational modeling in pharmacokinetics. His work bridges bioengineering with clinical applications. Collaborations: Active in interdisciplinary research with teams in biomedical engineering, pharmacy, and materials science.
