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Research
Research interests
My research interests are focussed within the areas of evolutionary computation and multi-agent systems, or more generally, complex adaptive systems.
Evolutionary computation is the collective name for a range of machine learning algorithms in which a population of individual entities adapts according to the selection pressures exerted by an environment. Evolutionary algorithms are frequently used to tackle complex search and optimization problems. Multi-agent systems consist of a population of interacting autonomous agents. Such systems, can be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent to solve. More generally, multi-agent systems can be used to model both natural and artificial systems.
Typically, research projects undertaken incorporate a combination of theoretical inquiry, computational modelling and empirical study using evolutionary-based multi-agent systems.
Current research projects include:
- Evolutionary computation: optimization
- Variable Interactions in Continuous Optimization Problems.
- Landscape analysis; Algorithm selection; Meta-learning models for algorithm performance
- Multi-objective optimization - parallel and distributed models
- Evolutionary-based classifier systems for high dimensional problems
- Evolving networks - tracking algorithms; characterizing model dynamics
- Evolutionary game theory / Computational social science
- Evolutionary game theory - evolving cooperation in N player spatial games
- Culture and cooperation in a spatial public goods game
- Modelling cultural dynamics using agent-based models (extensions of Axelrod's model)
- Community diversity
- Investigating the dynamics of the common pool resource game using agent-based models
- Modelling of complex systems
- Computational kidney model - large scale multi nephron model. See the University of Melbourne News article Our medical future
- Agent based models of informal settlements. See the University of Melbourne News article What can Brazil's favelas teach us about future cities?
Grants
- ARC Discovery Grant. 2016-2018. Co-evolution of Cooperation, Mindreading, and Morality (with Kashima, Howes, Laham & Levy)
- ARC Discovery Grant. 2013-2015. Co-evolutionary dynamics of cultural and social structure (with Kashima; Robins; Kashima; Peters)
- FAPESP (Brazil) / University of Melbourne. 2014-2016. Complex Adaptive Systems and Rule-Based Design: applications in architecture and urban design (with Karakiewicz and Celani)
- Carlton Connect. 2014. Human Systems for Sustainability in the University Campus -- The "Living Campus" Experiment (with Kvan et al and IBM research).
- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science Grant Co-evolutionary dynamics of cultural and social structure
- ARC Discovery Grant, Evolutionary multi-objective algorithms for Global Grids
- University of Melbourne ECR Grant, Cooperation in multi-agent systems
- University of Melbourne ECR Grant, Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms
- CSU Community Grant, Adaptive multi-agent systems
- CSU Competitive Grant, Learning in multi-agent systems
Research student supervision
- Current students
- Friedrich Burkhard von der Osten, PhD (co-supervised by Dr Tim Miller)
- Isabella Czerniakowski, PhD (co-supervised by A/Prof Justyna Karakiewicz)
- Camilo Cruz (co-supervised by A/Prof Justyna Karakiewicz)
- Yuan Sun, PhD (co-supervised by Prof Saman Halgamuge)
- Sergio Freschi, PhD (co-supervised by Dr Tim Miller)
- Minh Van Nguyen, PhD (co-supervised by Dr Rodolfo Garcia-Flores: currently on leave)
- Past / completed students
- Mario Andres Munoz, PhD (co-supervised by Prof Saman Halgamuge, completed 2014)
- Maryam Varmazyar, PhD (co-supervised by A/Prof Nick Haritos, completed 2014)
- Mani Abedini, PhD (completed 2013).
- Jens Pfau, PhD (co-supervised by Prof Liz Sonenberg, completed 2012)
- Raymond Chiong, PhD (completed 2012)
- Golriz Rezaei, PhD (co-supervised by Dr Shanika Karunasekera, completed 2011)
- Rob Moss, PhD (co-supervised by Dr Ed Kazmierczak, completed 2008)
- Md. Rafiul Hassan, PhD (co-supervised by A/Prof Baikunth Nath, completed 2007)
- Christof Zellweger, MSc(CS) project (completed 2012)
- Khaled Talukder, MEng (co-supervised by A/Prof Rajkumar Buyya, completed 2009)
- Nicole Ronald, MEng (co-supervised by Prof Leon Sterling, completed 2007)
- Jens Pfau, MEng project (co-supervised by Prof Liz Sonenberg, completed 2008)
- Harold Soh Soon Hong, MSc project (completed 2006)
- Cherhan Foo, BSc(Hons)
- Kalyanaraman Kaesava Kshetrapalapuram, BSc(Hons)
- Marc Riella, BSc(Hons)
- Nathan Clapham, BSc(Hons)
I am always on the "look out" for new postgraduate students. If you are interesting in one of the projects listed above (or a related project in the evolutionary computation / multi-agent systems domains), and have strong programming and algorithms skills, please send me an email with your resume. You should also consult the Graduate Research Opportunities guide in the Melbourne School of Engineering for scholarship and application information.
Research staff
- Dr Eduardo Oliveira Research Fellow (working on Living Campus models)
- Dr Christian Veccholia, Research Fellow (working on Cloud computing deployment models )
- Dr Robert Stewart, Research Fellow (working on Multi-objective optimization )
- Graeme Gange, Research Assistant (programming -- complex networks)
- Harold Soh Soon Hong, Research Assistant (programming -- Multi-objective optimization )
Professional Activites
- Journal reviewing
- Applied Soft Computing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
- Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
- Evolutionary Intelligence
- Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines
- IEEE Computational Intelligence
- IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation
- IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering
- IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part B
- Information Science
- Memetic Computing
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences
- Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
- Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena
- Soft Computing
- Program committees (conference series selected in the period 2000-2016)
- Australian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
- Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
- Asia Pacific Conference on Complex Systems
- Asia Pacific Symposium on Intelligent and Evolutionary Systems
- ACM Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference
- IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation
- IEEE/ACM Intelligent Agent Technology
- International Conference on Simulated Evolution and Learning
- International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
- Conference organization
- IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC 2003), Tutorial Chair
- 7th International Conference on Simulated Evolution and Learning (SEAL 08), Program co-chair
- First Australasian Computational Intelligence Summer School (ACISS 2009), Program co-chair
Teaching
Subjects
At the University of Melbourne, my teaching responsibilities have included the following subjects:
- Current
- COMP90038 Algorithms and Complexity (2017, Semester 1)
- COMP30023 Computer Systems (2017, Semester 1)
- VCE Algorithmics (2015-2017)
- Collaborating with Steven Bird and Bernd Meyer
- VCAA Study Design
- Previous
- COMP90038 Algorithms and Complexity (2016)
- COMP30023 Computer System (2014-2016)
- SWEN40004 Modelling Complex Software Systems (2012)
- COMP20005 Engineering Computation (2011-2013)
- COMP30017 Operating Systems and Network Services (2011-2013)
- COMP90051 Statistical and Evolutionary Learning (2011)
- 433-151 Introduction to Programming (Advanced) (2004-2005)
- 433-253 Algorithms and Data Structures (2005)
- 433-254 Software Design (2006-2008)
- 433-296 Engineering Computation (2009)
- 433-303 Artificial Intelligence (2008-2009)
- 433-443 Software Project Management (2007)
- 433-679 Evolutionary and Neural Computation (2009)
- 433-322 Operating Systems and Network Services (2010)
Teaching Administration
In the period 2004-2007, I was the coordinator of the Tutor and Demonstrator Support (TADS) program in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. The major objective of this program was to foster the development of quality teaching skills for casual staff members - approximately 70 tutors and laboratory demonstrators per semester.
Research and Teaching Awards
Research
- Excellence in Research 2009, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, The University of Melbourne
- Research Excellence 2003, Vice-Chancellor's Team Award, CSU
Teaching
- Excellence in Teaching 2011, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, The University of Melbourne
- Teaching Excellence 2005, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Melbourne
- Excellence in Teaching 2004, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, The University of Melbourne