Research groups and centres

Theoretical computer science focuses on the abstract, mathematical nature of computation. Areas of interest are: automata theory, computational biology, computational complexity, computability and randomness, design and analysis of algorithms, and unconventional models of computation. Related research subjects include biology, combinatorics, logic, and theoretical physics.

Members of this group also belong to the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (CDMTCS) and contribute to the CDMTCS report series. They are:

• Assoc-Prof Andre Nies (director)
• Prof Cristian Calude
• Prof Bakh Khoussainov
• Dr Mike Dinneen
• Dr Mark Wilson
• Assoc Prof Sebastian Link
• Dr Jing Sun
• Dr David Welch
• Assoc Prof Alexei Drummond
• Dr Remco Bouckaert
• Dr Joseph Heled
• Dr Alexander Gavryushkin
• Dr Tim Vaughan

Find out more about the Theory Group.

A research and development oriented group which collaborates across studies in communication, image technology, information technology, and internet technologies. number of international visitors each year. Research topics at CITR include multimedia imaging, computer vision, image and video analysis, information measurement and coding, network event detection, parallel, distributed and service-oriented architectures, mobile computing, language implementation and models. Our work spans both applied and fundamental aspects of these areas. We have two well-equipped laboratories for visualisation and photogrammetry.

Members of this group include:

• Dr Radu Nicolescu (director)
• Angela Chang
• Prof Reinhard Klette
• Dr S Manoharan
• Dr Ulrich Speidel
• Dr Xinfeng Ye

Find out more about CITR.

Intelligent Systems and Informatics (ISI) research group focuses on various theoretical and practical aspects of artificial intelligence, modern health informatics, computational biology, 3D computer vision, and medical image analysis including (but not restricted to) case-based reasoning, data mining, pattern recognition, image understanding and retrieval, 3D scene reconstruction and description, machine learning, search, planning, and intelligent software agents.

Our agenda with respect to health informatics is closely tied to the National Institute for Health Innovation. We are interested in the use of intelligent computing techniques to improve the quality of healthcare delivery with particular attention to chronic disease management.

In computational biology we specialise in evolutionary bioinformatics and the application of machine learning techniques to biological data. Evolutionary bioinformatics includes the use of probabilistic models of biomolecular sequence evolution and computationally intensive statistical inference methods such as Markov chain Monte Carlo.

In computer vision and image analysis we explore advanced image and vision models (e.g. based on second- and higher-order Markov random fields and point processes) and focus on intelligent real-time vision systems, applied photogrammetry, vision-guided robotics, computer-aided medical diagnostics using medical imaging, and other applied image analysis problems (such as e.g. soil quality evaluation by 3D image analysis).

Members of this group are:

• Dr Mike Barley (director)
• Dr Pat Riddle
• Prof Georgy Gimel'farb
• Dr Patrice Delmas
• Assoc Prof Ian Watson
• Prof Jim Warren
• Assoc Prof John Morris

Find out more about Intelligent Systems and Informatics
Find out more about the National Institute of Health Innovation

SERG (the Software Engineering Research Group) is a forum for research and collaboration amongst staff in the Computer Science Department working in the software engineering and applications areas.

SERG comprises more than a dozen academic staff and undertakes research across a broad range of software engineering-related sub-disciplines, including, but not limited to: Software Tools and Techniques, Software Quality, Formal Methods, Human Computer Interaction, Computer Graphics, Scientific and Medical Visualization, Database Systems, and Computer Science Education.

Our members publish extensively in top international software engineering journals and conferences. SERG has a large number of thesis students undertaking research supervised by group members. The members are:

• Assoc Prof Ewan Tempero (director)
• Prof Robert Amor
• Paul Denny
• Prof Gill Dobbie
• Prof John Hosking 
• Andrew Luxton-Reilly
• Dr Christof Lutteroth
• Dr Beryl Plimmer
• Dr Robert Sheehan
• Dr Ian Warren
• Dr Gerald Weber
• Dr Burkhard Wuensche
• Dr Yun Sing Koh
• Dr Rachel Blagojevic

Find out more about SERG.

The Systems Development and Evaluation group has five sub-groups. Nevil Brownlee leads projects in Networking Research, including high-speed network measurement, the DNS History Database Project, and IPv6 deployment. Jim Goodman's research into high-performance memory systems is currently focussed on hardware and software support for transactional memory systems, with the goal of dramatically simplifying programming for parallel computers. Clark Thomborson's Secure Systems Group is currently centred on security requirements engineering, but retains expertise and interest in software watermarking and trusted computing. Bob Doran's curation of our department's Computer History Museum preserves important artifacts, entertains our visitors, and inspires the next generation of computer scientists.

Members of this group are:

• Assoc Prof Nevil Brownlee (director)
• Prof Clark Thomborson
• Dr Giovanni Russello
• Prof James Goodman
• Prof Brian Carpenter.

Related Links
Networking Research
Secure Systems Group
Computing HIstory Displays

Centre for eResearch

The Centre for eResearch is a cross-faculty research centre, hosted within the Faculty of Science. We develop new ways to apply computer and information sciences to all research and science disciplines, both at The University of Auckland and within nationwide research programmes. We aim to enhance the understanding of research processes and the delivery of research computing services.

Find out more about eResearch.
 

Centre for Software Innovation

The Centre for Software Innovation (CSI) provides a bridge between researchers in Information and Communication Technology at The University of Auckland and the ICT industry. CSI, an Auckland Uniservices Ltd Innovation Centre, is embedded within the Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments. CSI has a strong track record of working with commercial and government ICT organisations to enhance their innovation potential and develop smarter solutions more quickly. Our approach is to engage with industry in a broad manner, both through direct consultancy and contract research, and via a suite of more focussed programmes, such as Academy and Extenda. We also provide research project management support to a range of third party programmes.

Find out more about the CSI.
 

Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (CDMTCS)

The Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, CDMTCS, which is a joint venture involving the Computer Science and Mathematics Departments of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, was founded in 1995 to support basic research on the interface between mathematics and computing, to foster research and development in these areas within the South Pacific region, and to create links between researchers in that region and their counterparts in the rest of the world.

Find out more about CDMTCS.