Professor Shazia Sadiq elected to the CORE Academy for 2025

Congratulations to our CIRES Centre Director Professor Shazia Sadiq who has been elected as one of five new members to the Computing Research and Education Association of Australasia (CORE) Academy for 2025!

The CORE Academy is established to honour and recognise individuals who have made significant and cumulative contributions to the development of computing disciplines in Australasia.

As a researcher and educator in data and process management within the UQ School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Shazia’s work has focused on dismantling socio-technical barriers to technology-driven transformation. As director of CIRES, she has helped link research and industry through industry-informed PhD training programs. Shazia actively engages in policy advice and science advocacy activities, including the development of national strategic plans and expert submissions to government initiatives on emerging digital technologies, and was a core author on the government’s Rapid Response Information Report (2023) on Generative AI.

She is also a champion for equity and diversity through her work with the first Australian ACM-W student chapter and DEI@DB, an international group that leads diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the database community.

Congratulations Shazia for this well-deserved recognition!

Welcome back to CIRES, Professor Felix Naumann!

A big welcome back to Brisbane and the Centre to Professor Felix Naumann! Felix is a Professor for Information Systems from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany, and is spending a six month sabbatical with CIRES at The University of Queensland.

Felix is a member of the Centre’s International Expert Panel, was a guest speaker at our inaugural PhD School in 2022, and we are so excited to have him join us as a keynote speaker for this year’s PhD School at UQ in October 2024.

He’ll be collaborating with CIRES Director Professor Shazia Sadiq and Chief Investigator Assoc. Professor Gianluca Demartini, and his research will focus on data quality.

“CIRES is a world-renowned centre for excellent research in all things data. I look forward especially to collaborating with faculty and students to advance research in data quality assessment methods. As an academic visitor, I also hope to learn from a new and exciting research environment, gain new insights into research and teaching methods, and ultimately find new academic partners.”

Welcome Felix!!

Welcome to visiting PhD researcher, Sarah Pinon

A warm Brisbane spring welcome to Sarah Pinon who joined us this week from Belgium! Sarah is a visiting PhD researcher from the MINDIT @ NaDI – Management of Information and Digital Transformation research centre at the Université de Namur.

“I’m trilled to join CIRES for the next three months. This incredible collaboration will support a new research project developed with CIRES CIs, Drs. Ida Asadi Someh & Tapani Rinta-Kahila, focusing on the creation of an evaluation framework for the promising new AI generation. Beyond the project, I’m looking forward to fully integrating into life at CIRES through participating in seminars, exchanging ideas, and building lasting connections with researchers from diverse disciplines. I’m excited to see where this journey will lead!”

Welcome Sarah!!

Redesigning Work with Artificial Intelligence

It is amazing to see that work redesign approaches proposed in our AI thought leadership report Redesigning Work with Artificial Intelligence: Accelerating the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Government Organizations have been adopted by NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for their Invoice Processing. The research takes a risk perspective to classify tasks and proposes four work redesign approaches based on risk levels and domain expertise/specialisation required. The approaches proposed are backed by case studies from the public sector.

For the full report refer to this link.

The research is jointly published by The University of Queensland and the SAP Institute for Digital Government.

Collaborators: CIRES CI Dr Ida Asadi Someh and CIRES Research Director, Professor Marta Indulska, Dr Reihaneh Bidar, Dr Tapani Rinta-Kahila, Dr Katie Williams,  Ian Ryan, Ryan van Leent [UQ Business School, SAP Australian User Group & CIRES]

CIRES Third Information Resilience Symposium

On Wednesday 7 August, CIRES hosted our third Information Resilience Symposium. This year’s event explored the important topic of learning in the age of AI, featuring state-of-the-art insights through a dynamic panel discussion and two thought-provoking keynotes from Dr Kristen Dicerbo, Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy, and Associate Professor Paul Denny from The University of Auckland. The event also included an engaging Information Resilience Escape Room, which added a layer of fun, positive engagement, and mild competition, making the experience both educational and entertaining. Congratulations to the symposium chair Hasan Khosravi, and CIRES Director Shazia Sadiq and the team, who also celebrated the year three milestone of the Centre at the event – with a fabulous looking cake!

CIRES turns 3!

From left: Dr Hasan Khosravi [Symposium Chair] with special guest panelists Professor Kelly Matthews [The University of Queensland], Professor Jason Tangen [The University of Queensland], Professor Xiaofang Zhou [CIRES International Expert Panel], Dr Aneesha Bakharia [The University of Queensland] and Professor Shazia Sadiq [CIRES Centre Director]

CIRES CI A/Prof Gianluca Demartini – ARC Future Fellowship 2024

Congratulations to CIRES Chief Investigator & Theme Leader, Associate Professor Gianluca Demartini who has been awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship! The ARC announced $106.7 million in funding this week for 100 new projects under the ARC’s 2024 Future Fellowships scheme.

Gianluca’s project “A Principled Approach to Data Bias Management in Data Pipelines” aims to tackle the fundamental problems of bias in data and AI, and proposes the new concept of bias management. Being trained with massive amounts of human generated content, AI may reflect and reinforce human bias and stereotypes and may be used for malicious purposes. Urgent action is needed to support the average person in better understanding if the output of AI systems can be trusted or not. The aim is to empower end-users to make informed data-driven decisions and benefit Australia by accelerating investment in responsible AI and fostering greater social acceptance in AI.

“It is exciting to have the opportunity to work on this important research topic for the next four years. I would like to thank all the people involved in the work that resulted in this fellowship.”

Congratulations Gianluca!

Building business success from AI and digital innovation

On 1 August, CIRES Centre Director, Shazia Sadiq was a panellist for the Business Matters event “Building business success from AI and digital innovation” hosted by Business Chamber Queensland, in partnership with the Australian Retirement Trust. Joining Shazia on the panel were Brett Lightfoot (Queensland State Director, Microsoft) and Jamie Wilson (Founder & Executive Chairman, Cryptoloc Data Security) with the discussion moderated by Business Chamber Queensland CEO, Heidi Cooper. The discussion focused on the opportunities for Queensland businesses to gain significant competitive advantages from AI and advanced digital transformation, and the innovation and productivity gains that can be realised through workforces and systems.

Women in Computing ACM-W Chapter

CIRES celebrated 2024 International Women’s Day with the launch of the UQ Association for Computing Machinery – Women (ACM-W) Chapter, a new initiative to support and encourage women in computing at UQ and beyond. As the first university in Australia to establish a Student Chapter, UQ is excited to be welcomed into a global network of professional women in computing.

The UQ ACM-W Student Chapter will provide an environment for students to make professional and social connections, learn about technology, get career advice, participate in mentoring, organise events, and provide community service. The chapter is led by CIRES Centre Director, Professor Shazia Sadiq and supported by ten Student Leaders who promote and celebrate the achievements of UQ’s women in computing community.

The Association for Computing Machinery – Women (ACM-W) celebrates, and advocates for Women in Computing with more than 70,000+ members world-wide.

Visiting Researcher Dr Barb Wixom MIT CISR

On 26 February, CIRES welcomed Dr Barb Wixom and Dr Alan Thorogood from the MIT CISR (MIT Center for Information Systems Research). Barb is the Principal Research Scientist at MIT CISR & member of the CIRES International Expert Panel. She is a world authority in data with three decades of impactful academic work, & her insights uniquely bridge academia & industry. Her new book Data is Everybody’s Business aims to inspire workers across organisations to engage in data monetization.

CIRES CI Dr Ida Asadi Someh from the UQ Business School is a long-time collaborator with Barb. “Barb is simply an inspiration for me & the whole data field. She has been providing thought leadership into organisational aspects of data & has significantly shaped research & practice in this topic. Her new book really translates in-depth scientific work into concepts, approaches, frameworks that every professional will need to know & use as AI becomes an integrated part of every job. She is democratizing the knowledge we all need to upskill for the future.”

Yesterday’s workshop “Data Monetization Fundamentals: Decoding Three Decades of Academic Research about Data Value for Practice Success” included an interactive seminar covering the core concepts of data monetization, & a deep-dive forum on how companies can establish acceptable data use practices as a foundational step toward ensuring responsible AI.

The workshop audience included representatives across Australian industry, government, & academia, including the Centre’s PhD researchers, Postdocs, & Engineers who were keen to learn from Barb.

CIRES PhD researcher Daisy Xu. has utilised some of Barb’s case studies to inform her own research. “Barb has a very admirable skill in communicating research outputs to a wide audience, making academic work highly accessible and practical. I found the Data Monetization Capability Framework to be particularly inspiring. It can be immediately useful for practitioners; for instance, they can use it to self-assess their readiness for monetizing their data assets after participating in a benchmarking survey. What’s truly remarkable is that her team collaborates with many Australian organizations that are at the forefront of the data space.”

CIRES PhD researcher Jorge Retamales said “I’m really appreciative of Barb’s visit. She conveyed important ideas with such clarity. I especially liked the improving-wrapping-selling framework. It provides an easy vocabulary where anyone can understand how tangible value can be obtained from data. I also liked her practical advice on data capabilities. It’s a great tool for organisations to enable productive conversations to plan their data monetization goals while considering their current context.”

Our thanks again to Barb for such a dynamic & insightful session & to everyone who joined us for this event.

VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY HERE

 

How AI’s decisions could transform our trust in technology and its role in our lives

How do you think explainable (generative) AI and the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind AI’s decisions could transform our trust in technology and its role in our lives?

CIRES CI, A/Prof Hassan Khosravi is thrilled to announce the publication of “Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) 2.0: A Manifesto of Open Challenges and Interdisciplinary Research Directions” in the prestigious Journal of Information Fusion.

Read the paper open access at https://lnkd.in/gRJrXb3n

Use of Generative AI in Australian Schools

CIRES Centre Director Professor Shazia Sadiq attended the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into the use of generative AI in Australian schools, with the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering CEO Kylie Walker. They discussed the crucial integration of AI into the Australian education system, emphasising the need for equitable access to hardware, software and skills across the education system. Generative AI has the power to significantly transform the way we work, learn and live.

 

If properly managed, it will lead to powerful tools to:

  • Reduce workload for educators.
  • Motivate students to improve their learning.

Read more in ATSE’s submission to the inquiry into the use of generative AI.

AI in Education: Call for increased ethics, collaboration & rigour

As the use of AI in education rapidly evolves and generates increasing interest, how can we obtain a comprehensive view of its current state-of-the-art developments in research and practical applications?

CIRES CI, A/Prof Hassan Khosravi’s recent paper “A meta systematic review of artificial intelligence in higher education: a call for increased ethics, collaboration and rigour “ published by the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education investigates this question.

Read the paper open access at https://lnkd.in/gaR4826x

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Enterprise AI

January 2024

Centre Director, Prof Shazia Sadiq was interviewed by ABC National Radio on the AI regulation plans announced by federal government.

The Australian Government has released an interim report on supporting responsible AI. This discussion paper focuses on governance mechanisms to ensure AI is developed and used safely and responsibly in Australia. These mechanisms include regulations, standards, tools, frameworks, principles and business practices. The paper builds on the recent Rapid Research Report on Generative AI delivered by the government’s National Science and Technology Council.

Comparatively, here are links to UK’s Bletchley Declaration and EU’s AI Act.

December 2023

Centre Director, Prof Shazia Sadiq, and CIRES CIs A/Prof Gianluca Demartini and Dr Rocky Chen networked with key leaders in AI at the National AI Leadership Summit in Sydney on 8 December. CEDA and CSIRO’s National Artificial Intelligence Centre presented a flagship Summit, convening leading voices on how AI can be leveraged in a positive and inclusive way to transform industries and advance the Australian economy. The Summit will outline how leaders can position their organisations, and Australia more broadly to enable the take up of responsible AI at scale.

 

CIRES participates in Australasian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence

An exciting week for AI as the Australasian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence [AJCAI] at The University of Queensland yesterday from 28 Nov – 1 Dec 2023 with an agenda packed day of tutorials and workshops.

CIRES students, Hongliang Ni and Zirui Tan, participated in the AJCAI PhD Forum. Additionally, CIRES Centre Director Professor Shazia Sadiq chaired the conference keynote by Professor H. Peter Soyer internationally recognised leader in the field of dermatology.

Professor Soyer is internationally recognised in the field of dermatology, and a pioneer and world leader in the field of dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions, a non-invasive diagnostic method. He has lead the development of the morphologic classification system currently used worldwide.

AI has made significant advancements in the field of dermatology, offering a wide range of applications and benefits. His talk will focus on some key areas in which AI is being used within this domain, including: Skin Cancer and Skin Disease Diagnosis; Telemedicine and Teledermatology; Clinical Decision Support; Research and Drug Development; and Wearable Devices and Monitoring.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at UQ

Applications close 9th January 2024


We are recruiting for a Level A postdoc fellow to join us in the ARC Training Centre for Information Resilience (CIRES) at The University of Queensland in sunny Brisbane, Australia. International candidates are also welcome to apply as visa sponsorship may be available for this appointment.

This position will be jointly supported by CIRES and the ARC Discovery Project DP 200103650 Making Spatiotemporal Data More Useful: An Entity Linking Approach. As a key member of the team, you will have the opportunity to conduct innovative research related to data management and data mining with a particular focus on entity linking and privacy protection of spatiotemporal data. You will also have the chance to supervise and develop research students, cultivate external partnerships, and contribute to the wider academic community.

We are seeking a candidate with:

  • Completion or near completion of a PhD in Data Management, Data Mining, or Data Science.
  • Demonstrated expert knowledge and experience in reproducible research related to multi-modality data including but not limited to spatiotemporal data.
  • A track record of peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals or premiere conferences relevant to data management and data mining.

See the full position description and how to apply:

Applications close Tuesday 9th January 2024 at 11.00 pm AEST.

This position will be based in the Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Information Resilience (CIRES) at UQ, and working across multiple projects with industry and government partners, providing a wealth of experience in multi-disciplinary teams, research planning, and industry and public sector dynamics. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work directly with the Centre’s partners, with an expected third of their time dedicated to working with partner organisations.

Questions? For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Shazia Sadiq.

CIRES participates in Australasian Conference on Information Systems

A number of CIRES students and staff participated in the 34th Australasian Conference on Information Systems [ACIS 2023] 5-8 December 2023, Wellington New Zealand.

CIRES posdoctoral researcher, Dr Javad Pool, shared his PhD journey as part of the ACIS Doctoral Consortium program, as well as presenting his research paper at the main conference.

CIRES students, Daisy Xu presented her current research into “Transforming Data to Value: a Multi-Case Study” at the ACIS 2023 Doctoral Consortium, while Jorge Retamales,  presented his research paper “Becoming data-driven: Integrating inertia and dynamic capabilities perspectives” at the main conference.

Dr Javad Pool – 2023 Award for Excellence

Congratulations to our CIRES Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Javad Pool who has received a 2023 Award for Excellence from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (BEL) at The University of Queensland.

The award was for Research – Engagement and Impact, within the Trust in AI Research Team working with Professor Nicole Gillespie, Dr Caitlin Curtis, and Dr Steven Lockey.

“I’m honoured to receive this BEL Award for Excellence 2023 alongside the Trust in AI Research Team. Professor Nicole Gillespie’s leadership in this research has been inspiring, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Nicole, Steve, and Caitlin on impactful projects highlighted in the media, in policy, and in industry reports.”

Congratulations Javad!

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