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The people you work with and learn from are an important part of your studies. Find out who the teaching staff are and hear what Artificial Intelligence is like at postgraduate level.

Academic staff and research areas

The staff listed here are available to supervise AI-related postgraduate research in their specialist areas.

  • AProf Aaron ChenAProf Aaron Chen—Deep reinforcement learning theories and algorithms (applied to cloud resource allocation, workflow scheduling, and other combinatorial optimization problems); multi-agent systems and multi-agent deep reinforcement learning; evolutionary computation for combinatorial optimisation
  • Dr Qi ChenDr Qi Chen—AI and machine learning in genetic programming, symbolic regression, and modelling; computer vision and image analysis; feature selection and dimensionality reduction
  • AProf Marcus FreanAProf Marcus Frean—Fundamentals and game theory underlying origin of cooperation in complex systems (such as reputations, memory, the origin of money); machine learning—especially probabilistic inference using neural nets
  • AProf Xiaoying Sharon GaoAProf Xiaoying Sharon Gao—Natural language processing; web intelligence; evolutionary computation; machine learning; text classification and clustering
  • Dr Heitor GomesDr Heitor Gomes—Novel machine learning algorithms for streaming data; partially labelled data; ensemble learning; drift detection; exploring continual learning problems using neural network approaches
  • Prof Bastiaan KlejinProf Bastiaan Klejin—Generative methods (diffusion, normalising flows, GANs); continuous representations of neural networks; applications of deep learning to reinforcement learning, gaming, geophysics, acoustics, speech.
  • Prof Ali KnottProf Ali Knott—Computational models of brain function, especially for human language and its connection to the sensorimotor system; social impacts and ethics of AI; AI oversight and regulation—for example, regulation of social media platforms
  • Dr Andrew LensenDr Andrew Lensen—Explainable AI; genetic programming; unsupervised learning (manifold learning); real-world/interdisciplinary AI in NZ; social and ethical implications of AI; embedding/dimensionality reduction methods
  • AProf Hui MaAProf Hui Ma—Social network analysis; service composition; service deployment; dynamic workflow scheduling; resource allocation in cloud computing; using evolution computation and other AI techniques to address combinatorial optimisation problems
  • Dr Yi MeiDr Yi Mei—AI and machine learning for solving real-world optimisation problems; genetic programming; explainable AI; multi-objective optimisation and decision making; automatic algorithm design; transfer/multi-task learning and optimisation; reinforcement learning
  • Dr Bach NguyenDr Bach Nguyen—Machine learning; classification; evolutionary machine learning; feature selection and construction; dimensionality reduction; transfer learning and domain adaptation; particle swarm optimisation; differential evolution; evolutionary multi-objective optimisation/learning
  • Dr Emily O’RiordanDr Emily O’Riordan—Deep learning for geophysics; generative AI; downscaling and bias correction; probabilistic machine learning; transfer learning; spectral methods; explainable AI; real-world AI applications
  • Prof Bing XueProf Bing Xue—Machine learning; data mining; computer visions and their real-world applications; evolutionary machine learning; genetic programming; explainable AI and interpretable machine learning; feature selection/construction/extraction; evolutionary deep learning; evolving deep neural networks
  • Fangfang ZhangFangfang Zhang—Evolutionary machine learning; evolutionary computation; scheduling and combinatorial optimisation; medical image classification; decision making; automatic heuristic design and hyper-heuristic learning; feature selection; surrogate models; multi-objective optimisation; transfer/multitask learning
  • Prof Mengjie ZhangProf Mengjie Zhang—AI and machine learning in genetic programming; modelling and symbolic regression; computer vision and image analysis; deep learning and transfer learning; AIML applications in primary industry, climate change, and health outcomes
  • Dr Junhong (Jennifer) ZhaoDr Junhong (Jennifer) Zhao—Computer vision; image/video processing; deep learning; machine learning; multimedia computation; speech/language processing

Our stories

Hear stories from two of our PhD students and one of our lecturers.

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Jesse Wood

PhD candidate in Artificial Intelligence

The field of AI tackles some of the deepest philosophical and spiritual questions that our species has pondered for centuries. What is consciousness, what is intelligence, and what is sentient life?

Redefining intelligence

Jesse says he is humbled by the opportunity to find answers to some of life’s deepest questions through artificial intelligence (AI).

“Artificial intelligence is an emerging field where we can employ technology to improve the quality of life. The field redefines intelligence—whether it be Tesla self-driving vehicles, the Crew Dragon autonomous docking to the ISS, sequencing DNA proteins with AlphaFold, or AlphaZero beating Dota 2 world champs. Once we can program a computer to do it, people no longer consider it intelligent.

“The field of AI tackles some of the deepest philosophical, religious, and spiritual questions that we have pondered as a species for centuries. What is consciousness, what is intelligence, and what is sentient life?”

Working with Plant and Food Research

Jesse is excited about contributing meaningful change to the world through his PhD partnership with Plant and Food Research.

“I am conducting PhD research to automate the process of identifying chemical compounds in fish oil tissue samples. My PhD will address the trade-off between complexity and accuracy, to develop an AI that can be understood by humans with expertise in biochemistry.

“The work aims to encourage more sustainable practices in food processing for fisheries by automating and improving on existing technologies. I hope to contribute a meaningful change to the world by preserving our fish for all the generations to come.”

Passionate supervisors

The enthusiasm and dedication of his supervisors is something Jesse credits for his accomplishments thus far.

“My supervisors are very encouraging and open to my ‘crazy’ ideas, but know how to reign in my curiosity with their expertise when necessary. They show extraordinary interest in the field, and back this up with a dedicated effort towards their own work within it.”

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Hayden Andersen

PhD candidate in Artificial Intelligence

I didn’t expect the wealth of opportunities that would come my way, advancing both my academic and personal growth.

The logical choice

A PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the “only logical choice” for Hayden Andersen, after completing his Bachelor of Science.

“Through my undergraduate degree, I grew to really enjoy AI, and the tasks and challenges that came along with it.”

Hayden’s research aims to address some of these challenges, focusing on providing human-friendly explanations for machine-learning models and predictions.

“Many popular techniques and algorithms will not provide you with an explanation—it will simply take data and spit out a prediction. However, this is not good enough for real-life applications. For example, if there was an AI set up to accept or deny bank loans, a user would want to know why their loan got denied so that they could work on getting it accepted.”

Hayden’s research also explores creating multiple, equally valid explanations for the same tasks.

“This is something that this university is uniquely well-equipped to support, thanks to the strength of the evolutionary computation research group.”

Wealth of opportunities

Throughout Hayden’s time at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, he has had opportunities to present his own work at an academic conference, be a guest lecturer, review papers for publication, and co-supervise a group of Honours students.

“My supervisors are fantastic, supporting me in all of my academic endeavours and providing me with new and continuing development opportunities.

“Even outside of the PhD itself, the University has given me the opportunity to take up new hobbies and interests—I’m just finishing up my third term on the committee for the University Fencing Club.”

Future pathways

Hayden has enjoyed working as a tutor so much that it has shaped his future career pathway.

“Tutoring at the University has shown me how much I truly enjoy teaching at a tertiary level. I look forward to being able to continue this as I continue my academic career.”

Prof Bing Xue

Professor, School of Engineering and Computer Science

AI technologies have significantly improved the way we operate across different fields, be it healthcare, education, or manufacturing. AI is literally everywhere around us.

Part of our day-to-day lives

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming an integral part of our everyday lives.

“Today, AI technologies have significantly improved the way we operate across different fields, be it healthcare, education, or manufacturing. AI is literally everywhere around us.

“As governments and private sector companies continue to adopt AI into their larger strategies, there are significant growth opportunities for people who can evaluate and select the appropriate AI techniques to address problems across a range of sectors.”

Pioneering research

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has significant expertise in developing and delivering programmes that offer students both fundamental and cutting-edge knowledge.

The School of Engineering and Computer Science’s AI research group includes over 50 staff and students undertaking pioneering research in this field.

International connections

“We have established relationships with universities and partners worldwide. Some of our graduates have gone on to work with IT leaders like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. Others have undertaken specialised AI research at Carnegie Melon, Oxford, and Cambridge.”

Programme contacts

As an international student, you should contact Wellington University International with any questions about studying at this university. Wellington University International will also process your application. If you have a query about programme or course content, you can contact one of the academic or school staff below

Aaron Chen, Programme director, Postgraduate Science

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