AIRC Team

Professor Yaxin Bi

Professor in Artificial Intelligence

Yaxin Bi is a Professor in the School of Computing at Ulster University and a core member of the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre within the School. He has over thirty years of research experience in Artificial Intelligence and its applications. He has a BSc (Hons) in Computing Science, an MSc by research in Computing Application, and a PhD in the area of Text Categorization with ensemble learning approaches. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Yaxin’s research interests include machine learning and ensemble learning in conjunction with the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. He has pioneered ensemble approaches for combining multiple classifiers using Dempster’s rule of combination, as well as measuring the diversity impact of evidential classifiers with varying metrics. He has secured more than £5 million in research funding from the funding bodies of the European Space Agency, the EU Frameworks and Horizon 2020 programs, Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), Invest NI, and the Royal Society, UK, etc.

His research extends to the development of data analytics and decision-making methods under uncertainty to tackle real-world challenges in a wide range of applications. These include anomaly/change detection in satellite data and manufacturing process, energy consumption and generation analysis, crop classification and disease detection, generative simulation and digital twin, sentiment analysis, and sensor fusion for activity/event recognition. Yaxin has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers across international journals, edited books, book chapters and conference proceedings.

Yaxin held key roles for various international conferences and workshops as a general co-chair and program co-chair. He served as an associate editor for the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Review (2015-2020). Currently, he serves as an associate editor for the International Journal of Intelligent Systems and an editorial board member of Real-World Data Science (Royal Statistical Society, UK), as well as a steering committee member for both the International Conference on Knowledge Science, Engineering, and Management (KSEM) and the Science and Information (SAI) Conference.

Dr David Glass

Senior Lecturer

David Glass has a BSc (Mathematics), MA (Philosophy) and PhD (Theoretical Physics) from Queen's University Belfast where he also worked as a post-doctoral research associate before joining Ulster University in 2000. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre.

David teaches both computer science and mathematics, including a module in artificial intelligence, and has carried out research in a range of areas. Earlier in his career, he worked in the theory of atomic and molecular physics, but his current research lies at the intersection of computer science, mathematics and philosophy of science. A key aspect of his work is on explanatory and Bayesian reasoning, though he also works on other topics in artificial intelligence and the mathematical and computational modelling of complex systems. He has published widely in these fields, has supervised a number of PhD students, and has acquired external funding to support his research. His work has found application in a range of areas including COVID-19 modelling and other aspects of healthcare.

David also has an interest in the relationship between science and religious belief and has undertaken research in this area by applying his work on Bayesian and explanatory reasoning to topics such as 'explaining away' and design arguments.

Dr Glenn Hawe

Lecturer

Glenn Hawegraduated from the University of Warwick in 2004 with a MPhys in Mathematics and Physics (first class), and from the University of Southampton in 2008 with a PhD in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. His PhD research concerned efficient multi-objective optimization algorithms for electromagnetic design problems, and was carried out whilst employed as a KTP Associate with Vector Fields, Oxford. 

From 2008-2010 he was employed as a PDRA at the University of Manchester on the BBSRC-funded project "Novel force-fields devised through machine learning". Here he developed machine learning software for use in a computational chemistry group optimizing regression algorithms for use in a force-field derived from quantum theory.

From 2010-2013 he was employed as a PDRA at Durham University on the EPSRC-funded project "Adaptive Co-ordinated Emergency Response to Rapidly Evolving Large-Scale Unprecedented Events (REScUE)". Here he developed agent-based simulation and optimization software to explore computationally how to design responses to major incidents in the UK.

Glenn joined the School of Computing and Mathematics at the Ulster University as a lecturer in 2013. A member of the Artificial Intelligence and Applications Research Group, his research focuses on machine learning and multi-objective optimization, and the overlaps between these two topics, such as multi-objective machine learning and meta-learning. He is currently on the technical committee for the "Science and Information Conference", and has acted as a reviewer for several journals including Journal of Simulation, International Journal of Machine Learning and Cybernetics and IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Professor Jun Liu

Professor of Artificial Intelligence

Professor Jun Liu is currently a Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre (AIRC) at School of Computing, Ulster University. Before he joined Ulster University, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Manchester, UK (Feb. 2002 - Dec. 2004), and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK*CEN) (Mar. 2000 -Feb. 2002). He received the BSc. and MSc. degrees in Applied Mathematics, and PhD. degree in Information Engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China, in 1993, 1996, and 1999, respectively.

He has been working in the field of Artificial Intelligence for many years. His current research is focused on two themes: 1) trust and explainable data-knowledge integrated AI decision model/system with applications in management, engineering, and industry field etc. (e.g., safety and risk analysis; policy decision making; security/disaster management; and heath care and smart home); 2) logic and automated reasoning methods for intelligent systems. In particular: resolution-based automated reasoning methods, algorithm and tools with applications (including software verification and automated theorem proving); lattice-valued logics with focus on handling incomparability, inconsistency and imprecision. He has over 270 publications in these areas.

He has been awarded over £18 Million of research funding from various funding bodies as grant holder and principle co-investigator. He is the current Chair of IEEE CIS Emergent Technologies Technical Committee (ETTC), also the past Chair of IEEE System, Man and Cybernetics (SMC) Ireland Chapter (SMC28). He is an IEEE Senior Member including IEEESMC and IEEECI. He serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transaction on Fuzzy Systems, Knowledge-Based Systems, and Human-Centric Computing and Information Sciences, an Area Editor of International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems, is also an Editor of Information Fusion Journal, Journal of Universal Computer Science, and International Journal of Knowledge and Systems Science. He serves as chairs or co-chairs and program committees of a number of international conferences and workshops.

He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Dr Jorge Martinez Carracedo

Lecturer in Computer Science (Internet of Things

Dr Mark McCartney

Senior Lecturer in Mathematics

Mark McCartney has a BSc (Hons) degree in applied mathematics,  PGCE in secondary level education, and a MSc and PhD in theoretical atomic physics, all from Queen's University, Belfast.

His research in applied mathematics currently lies within chaotic dynamics and mathematical ecology, but he has also published widely in mathematics education and the history of science.

He has been involved in a number of funded research projects, including (with Tony Mann and Noel-Ann Bradshaw from the University of Greenwich) work on the use of the history within the mathematics curriculum, and (with David Glass here at the UU) work on the nature of explanation in scientific reasoning.

He has a number of roles outside the university, including being President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics (2018-2020); serving on the Education Committee of the London Mathematical Society and being associate editor of the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science & Technology.

He has co-edited 6 books on the history of mathematics and physics, with the most recent (edited with Chris Hollings) being Oxford's Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy: The First 400 Years, published by Oxford University Press.

Dr Adrian Moore

Senior Lecturer

Professor Maurice Mulvenna

Professor of Computer Science

Maurice Mulvenna BSc. (Hons), PgCert, MPhil, PhD, FHEA is Professor of Computer Science at Ulster University. Maurice’s research areas include artificial intelligence; data analytics; mental health and wellbeing data analysis; and assistive technologies. His most recent research focuses on working in partnership with mental health organisations, using artificial intelligence to uncover useful behavioural patterns in anonymised call and event data pertaining to crisis helplines, chatlines and suicidal behaviour in public places.

He has served on 250 program committees and chaired several conferences, including the 32nd British Human-Computer Interaction conference in 2018, 31st European Cognitive Ergonomics Conference in 2019, the 5th IEEE International Conference on Internet of People in 2019 and the International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health in 2021-2024.

He has also presented as an invited keynote speaker at international conferences and events in UK, Asia and Europe. Maurice has published over 460 internationally peer-reviewed publications including books, journal papers, conference and workshop papers and book chapters.

He is principal investigator or investigator on more than 130 regional, national and international research projects, bringing funding of over £12M to Ulster University and raising total project funds of over £55M. He also serves as an invited expert reviewer for national and international awards as well as many national and international research funding organisations.

Maurice served for three years on UK Ofcom’s Advisory Committee on Older and Disabled People and currently serves as associate editor for Springer Nature npj Mental Health Research, Informatics for Health and Social Care, Journal of Enabling Technologies, and JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies. He served as Chair of Cedar Foundation 2016-2022 and was awarded Trustee of the Year, at Chief Officers 3rd Sector (CO3) Leadership Awards. In 2019, he was elected as a Board Member of the European Association of Cognitive Ergonomics and is incoming President-elect for 2024.

Maurice is also a past winner of the European €200,000 IST Grand Prize, has won with colleagues the Best Innovation in Practice Award at the Dementia Care Awards, the Societal Impact Award at the UK National KTP Best of the Best Awards 2020 and recently won Highly Commended for the Mobile App of the Year at the 2021 Digital DNA Awards for the InspireD reminiscence for dementia app. He also won the Inaugural Award for Industry-Academic Collaboration from the Centre for Behaviour Change Conference on Behaviour Change for Health: Digital and Other Innovative Methods, in 2019 with colleagues.

Dr Omar Nibouche

Lecturer

Roy Sterritt

Lecturer in Informatics

Dr James Uhomoibhi

Lecturer in Engineering

Professor Jonathan Wallace

Professor of Innovation

Dr Haiying Wang

Reader

Dr. Haiying Wang is a Reader in computer science at the School of Computing and Mathematics, a full member of Computer Science Research Institute and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

He received his PhD in artificial intelligence and biomedicine in 2004 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education in 2008 from Ulster University.

Haiying’s research interests lie broadly within the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, complex network analysis and their applications in bioinformatics and healthcare informatics. He has a particular interest and expertise in the development of advanced techniques for large-scale data integration, activity recognition and gait analysis within smart environments, metagenomics data analysis and network-based approaches to the field of systems biology.

He has been a grant holder of several national and international research projects. Currently his major research income includes grants from Innovate UK and EU-Horizon2020. The products of his research have been reflected in his more than 120 peer reviewed publications in journals and conference proceedings.

Among his professional service activities, Haiying has served as co-chairs and on program committees of a number of international conferences and workshops.

Professor Huiru (Jane) Zheng

Professor of Computer Sciences

Prof. Huiru (Jane) Zheng is a Professor of Computer Science with School of Computing and Mathematics, a full member of Computer Science Research Institute and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She was awarded a PhD in Bioinformatics in 2003 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education in 2005 from Ulster University.

Prof. Zheng is an active researcher in bioinformatics and healthcare informatics. Within her broad interests in data mining, data integration, machine learning and healthcare decision support, Prof. Zheng has a particular research interest and expertise in integrative data analytics in the field of systems biology, and intelligent data analysis and assistive technology to support healthcare and independent living. She has a successful track record of winning research funding as a principal investigator and has been a grant holder of research projects funded by EPSRC, TSB, DEL, NHS, Invest NI and European Commission including SMART Self Management, NOCTURNAL, CLARCH COPD Self Management, Self Management Platform for Connected Health, CardioWorkBench, mHealth4Afrika, SenseCare and MetaPlat. The products of her research have been reflected in her over 200 peer reviewed journal and conference publications.

Prof. Zheng is an IEEE member. She serves on the editorial board of several international journals and serves as co-chairs and program committees of a number of international conferences.