Three University of Canberra researchers have received a total of more than $1.2million in the 2020 Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA).
Over $400,000 each was awarded to Associate Professor Dr Philip Roberts for research in rural education for sustainable community futures; Assistant Professor Dr Mohammad Abualsheikh to examine privacy coupling and personal devices, and; Assistant Professor Dr Munawar Hayat to look at empathy in robots through future AI machines.
“The University of Canberra’s research performance has gone from strength-to-strength, seeing the University rocket up the rankings to be in the Top 200 in the world according to the influential Times Higher Education global university rankings,” said Leigh Sullivan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation. “This acknowledgement of the outstanding research that not one, but three early career academics are doing in the areas of education, engineering and robotics is testament to the dedication of these researchers to pursue innovative, future-forward research at the University.”
Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education Dr Phil Roberts says it is a great feeling to have been given validation of the work he has been undertaking for many years. His research will incorporate detailed analysis from systems, community groups, and case studies in six rural, regional and remote communities to improve education for these communities.
“It is quite humbling to have that validation and to have the support of the assessment panel and the peak research body,” said Dr Roberts. “It is career-defining in many ways. Once you are recognised by the ARC, you have made it.”
Assistant Professor of Engineering Dr Mohammad Abualsheikh’s project will focus on novel schemes to preserve the privacy of individuals’ data in the Internet of Things and machine learning services. It’s an area in which he sees great relevance for community impact and wellbeing, across government, industry and service sectors dealing with individuals’ data.
“The Australian Research Council DECRA will provide me with a great opportunity to expand on this valuable research,” he said.
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor in Software Engineering Dr Munawar Hayat will be looking at equipping the robots of the future with empathy, in a human-centred approach to Artificial Intelligence that has a huge potential to change the way we interact with robots.
Dr Hayat will be developing computational models that leverage off both verbal and non-verbal cues. His research will be of particular relevance to the rehabilitation, healthcare and education sectors, and will further the body of knowledge around machine learning, Artificial Intelligence and affective computing.
WHAT: ARC DECRA FUNDING
WHEN: Interviews available on request on Monday 18 November
WHERE: University of Canberra Concourse
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Megan Reeder Hope, Associate Director
0435 103 735 | megan.reederhope@canberra.edu.au
Katarina Slavich, Media Officer
0408 826 362 | Katarina.Slavich@canberra.edu.au