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Michael Milford

Associate professor, Queensland University of Technology

I am a leading robotics researcher conducting interdisciplinary research at the boundary between robotics, neuroscience and computer vision, and a multi-award winning educational entrepreneur. My research models the neural mechanisms in the brain underlying tasks like navigation and perception in order to develop new robotics and computer vision-related technologies, with a particular emphasis on challenging application domains where current techniques fail such as all-weather, anytime positioning for autonomous vehicles. I currently hold the position of Associate Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, as well as Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow and Chief Investigator on the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision.

My research has attracted more than twenty-one million dollars in research and industry funding, both in the form of sole investigator fellowships and large team grants from the Australian Research Council, Queensland Government, Microsoft, Caterpillar Corporation and the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development. My papers have won (4) or been finalists (7) for 11 best paper awards including the 2012 Best Vision paper at ICRA2012. My citation h-index is 25, with 2362 citations as of February, 2017. I have given more than 50 invited presentations across twelve countries at top international conferences, universities (including Harvard, MIT, CMU, Boston Uni, Cambridge and Imperial College London) and corporations (including Google Deepmind and Microsoft). I was a finalist (top 3 nationwide) in the 2016 Australian Museum Eureka awards for Outstanding Early Career Researcher.

As an educational entrepreneur, I have written and produced innovative textbooks for high school students for fifteen years, with more than 6000 physical sales and educational website and YouTube views in excess of 1.5 million. I am currently launching the company Math Thrills, an initiative combining mass market entertainment and STEM education. Math Thrills received pre-seed funding on Kickstarter ($2500) and seed funding ($50,000) from QUT Bluebox, further funding ($25,000) from the AMP Foundation and is in initial school trials. The initiative has led to awards including the 2015 Queensland Young Tall Poppy of the Year Award and a 2015 TedXQUT talk.

I have dual citizenship between Australia and the United States, and have lived and worked in locations including Boston, USA and Edinburgh and London in the UK, collaborating with organizations including Harvard University, Boston University, Oxford University, MIT, Edinburgh University, Imperial College London, Caterpillar, the US Air Force and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Avengers: Endgame exploits time travel and quantum mechanics as it tries to restore the universe

Apr 27, 2019 06:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War half the people (including heroes and villains) in the universe were gone in the snap of a finger from Thanos (Josh Brolin). So how can Avengers: Endgame (in cinemas from this week)...

Remember Blockbuster, Nirvana and pagers? The new Captain Marvel lives in the 1990s

Mar 09, 2019 06:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

Captain Marvel flies into movie theatres from today, and apart from introducing a great new hero who combines the righteousness of Captain America and the humour of Thor: Ragnarok, its also a cultural reference bonanza for...

Robots can learn a lot from nature if they want to 'see' the world

Jul 09, 2018 09:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Vision is one of natures amazing creations that has been with us for hundreds of millions of years. Its a key sense for humans, but one we often take for granted: that is, until we start losing it or we try and recreate it...

Terminator 2 in 3D reminds us what we've still to learn about AI and robotics

Aug 28, 2017 14:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

The classic science fiction action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day has ticked over its 25th anniversary. To celebrate, director James Cameron went one step further than remastering the original 1991 version and has...

The future of artificial intelligence: two experts disagree

Jul 18, 2017 13:49 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionise our lives, drive our cars, diagnose our health problems, and lead us into a new future where thinking machines do things that were yet to imagine. Or does it? Not...

Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2: a scientist's review

Apr 24, 2017 13:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

Star-Lord Peter Quill and the gang are back as Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2 opens in cinemas from today in another outing of the galactic blockbuster. Its one of the most fun films Ive seen in years, combining...

How to make a driverless car 'see' the road ahead

Mar 16, 2017 05:33 am UTC| Technology

Microchip manufacturer Intel has invested heavily in the driverless car race with the latest US$15 billion (A$19.5bn) purchase of Israeli tech company Mobileye. Mobileye develops sensors and intelligence technology...

Economy

IMF Says Global Bond Markets Remain Orderly Despite Yield Surge

The International Monetary Fund said global bond markets remain orderly despite a sharp rise in government bond yields that has driven borrowing costs to their highest levels in decades. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield...

Oil Prices Surge as U.S.-Iran Tensions Fuel Supply Fears

Oil prices jumped on Thursday as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions revived concerns over Middle East supply disruptions, with reports suggesting Washington is preparing to deploy additional forces to the region. Brent crude...

Wall Street Edges Higher as Treasury Yields Retreat

Wall Street opened October with modest gains on Thursday as falling U.S. Treasury yields helped offset a sharp rise in oil prices and renewed concerns over inflation. The SP 500 gained 0.3% to close at 7,670.36, while the...

Nasdaq Futures Jump as Micron Earnings Boost AI Trade

U.S. stock futures climbed Thursday, led by a sharp rise in Nasdaq futures after strong earnings and guidance from Micron Technology reinforced investor confidence in artificial intelligence-driven chip demand. Wall Street...

South Korea Exports Surge 83.5% on AI Chip Boom

South Korean exports surged far more than expected in September, driving the countrys trade surplus higher as strong global demand for artificial intelligence chips and electronics continued to support Asias fourth-largest...

Politics

Israeli Settler Attack in West Bank Kills Palestinian

Israeli settlers shot two Palestinians during an attack on the village of Yasuf in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, killing one and injuring another, according to Palestinian officials. The incident comes amid...

Ukraine Deploys FP-7 Ballistic Missile in Combat for First Time

Ukraine has used its domestically developed FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, marking a significant step in Kyivs efforts to expand its long-range strike and missile capabilities, President...

Putin Says Western Firms Could Regain Russian Assets

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western companies could eventually regain control of their Russian assets if relations improve and a favourable scenario emerges between Moscow and Western governments. Speaking...

Marco Rubio to Visit Iceland, Greece and Portugal

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Iceland, Greece and Portugal next week as Washington seeks to strengthen economic, security and diplomatic cooperation with key European partners. The State Department...

US Waives $320M Egypt Military Aid Conditions After Iran War Role

The United States has waived human rights conditions tied to $320 million in military aid for Egypt, citing Cairos national security importance and its helpful role following the launch of the US-led military campaign...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

California AG Subpoenas OpenAI Over AI Cybersecurity Incidents

California Attorney General Rob Bonta served OpenAI with an investigative subpoena Wednesday, escalating a state investigation into cybersecurity incidents involving the artificial intelligence company and its models. The...

WordPress Malware Uses Ethereum to Evade Removal

Security researchers have uncovered a persistent WordPress malware strain that uses Ethereum infrastructure for command-and-control communications, making infected websites unusually difficult to clean. According to...

DogeOS Launches Testnet to Bring DeFi Apps to Dogecoin

DogeOS has launched a public testnet designed to bring Ethereum-style decentralized finance applications to Dogecoin, potentially expanding DOGEs utility beyond payments and price speculation. The Ethereum-compatible...

Tencent Signs $7 Billion Oracle AI Chip Lease Deal

Tencent has signed a $7 billion agreement with Oracle to access roughly 100,000 advanced artificial intelligence chips, marking a major expansion of the Chinese technology giants AI infrastructure, according to the...

Micron Forecast Tops Estimates as AI Memory Demand Stays Strong

Micron Technology delivered a stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter 2027 outlook, supported by robust demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure, although signs of slowing earnings growth...