Overview#
This document summarises the skills and experience of staff in the School of Cybernetics who are registered HDR supervisors at ANU and are currently available to serve as supervisors in the School of Cybernetics. As such, it is a living document that will be regularly updated, as staff’s capacity for supervision changes (current students graduate, staff come on/off leave, etc).
The intended use of this document is for those interested in HDR study in the School of Cybernetics to understand who they may want to speak with about the possibility of supervision.
A few considerations for readers:
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Supervisors need not have experience with your exact research question (indeed, that would be unusual); consider concepts, methods, domain areas that overlap or are adjacent to your proposed research.
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Availability is described in this document as:
- currently available can potentially take on more than 1 new student
- limited availability can potentially take on a student, but may have an almost full roster, or other limitations (part time appointment etc.)
- not available for supervision currently has a full roster of students as primary supervisor (ANU sets limits), or otherwise currently does not have capacity for supervision (may be on leave, may have full course teaching load, may not be available for length of HDR study, etc.)
Professor Angie Abdilla#
Currently: limited availability as panel member
Professor Katherine Daniell#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision or panel membership (project proposals must be very strongly linked to the below for consideration)
Entries into Cybernetics#
Interest in Cybernetics as method including through reflexive collaborative practice and participatory governance. Background in engineering, arts, policy and French/European/Australian participatory modelling, governance and engineering underpinned by multiple strands of Cybernetics. I have studied some pre-histories of Cybernetics and the praxis of cybernetic groups
Domains#
multi-level governance, participatory processes, inter-cultural relations, transdisciplinarity, water and river systems, defence/intelligence, AI systems, leading in complexity and chaos, climate change adaptation, sustainability assessment, urban/regional planning and futuring (including scenario methods) and governing of future technologies, public policy and the role of researchers in decision processes, French (and EU, Pacific, Australian) research, education and innovation systems.
Theory toolkit and strengths#
participatory intervention/action research methods, pluralist philosophy, systems theory (speciality soft systems operational research and cybernetics), decision-aiding/policy analytics, theories of policy change (including power, politics and the science-policy-community interfaces), governing across boundaries theory (inter-organisational working, networked/multi-scalar/multi-level governance, sustainability theory/science and indicators, participatory method design and workshop facilitation, collaborative pedagogies.
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
see theory and subject areas. I focus on reflexive cybernetic praxis using a range of methods. Interests in multi-scalar processes and flows, designing processes for multiple knowledges, cybernetic leadership practice, using pre-histories for futuring, arts-informed engagement, supporting students to manage and transform conflict of multiple forms, participatory evaluation, comparative case study methods.
Collaborations/Partnerships#
DSTG, Army, OneBasin CRC, IRSTEA, INRIA, CNRS, CNR, PSL research university, some Pacific Islands groups, Madjulla Inc, Menzies Leadership Foundation, World Economic Forum.
Research Outputs/Publications#
https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=TIQVsWEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Professor Chris Danta#
Currently: available for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
I have a PhD in comparative literature. My research operates at the intersection of literary theory, philosophy, science and theology. I call myself a literary anthropologist and am interested in how literary writers rethink what it means to be human by drawing on other knowledge systems such as religion and science. I am currently working on a project that shows how our fear of AI can be traced to writers in the nineteenth century such as Samuel Butler and George Eliot that imagined machines evolving. This literary prehistory of AI is also becoming a prehistory of cybernetics.
Domain/Subject Areas#
human-machine relation in literature and philosophy, animal studies, ecology, comparative literature, fables, theory
Theory toolkit and strengths#
comparative analysis, using theory in research, bringing different knowledge systems together
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Comparative analysis, close analysis of literature, literary theory, using metaphor in theory.
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Rethinking fables in an age of global environmental crisis: https://research.kent.ac.uk/rethinking-fables/
Research Outputs/Publications#
https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/danta-c
Professor Andrew Meares#
Currently: available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
My industry research activities have involved the creation, curation, and circulation of images and spanned the transition from the darkroom to digital and from print to social media (1991-Present). I am a Walkley award-winning photojournalist who applied cybernetic practice while working at The Sydney Morning Herald for almost three decades (1991-2017). I have covered politics, protests and portraits, bushfires, coups and war zones. I served as the president of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery (2015-2017) and as a senior adviser to the Leader of the Opposition the Hon. Bill Shorten MP (2017-2019).
Since joining the ANU 3A Institute in 2019, I have contributed as a Master course convenor (Framing questions about cyber-physical systems), Master program convenor, Education Experience lead, and Design lead. I now lead Cybernetic Futures and have served as School Deputy Director (2023- 2024). I was the lead curator of the exhibition Australian Cybernetic: A Point Through Time (2022) and lead author of the exhibition book (2024).
My current focus is on cybernetic futures research and learning experiences, managing the Cybernetic Imagination residency program, and I am a co-investigator of an ongoing research project on Australia’s first digital system, the Overland Telegraph Line.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Media, public policy, arts, communication, histories of technologies, cybernetic histories, AI histories and futures studies. I am an engaged in the many contributions of cyberneticians: W.Ross Ashby, John McHale, Kenneth and Elise Boulding and Dr Jasia Reichardt.
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Narrative power and narrative infrastructures, theories of change, visual cybernetics, cybernetic futures, socio-technical imaginaries.
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Visual cybernetics, cybernetic futures, photography, cinematography, video editing, and distribution, drone photo and video, visual database management, navigating visual and print archives and remote fieldwork. An understanding of Non-traditional research outputs.
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Australian Parliament, Australian media, KPMG, NGA, NFSA, CMAG, Questacon, Dr Jasia Reichardt, Uncle Wally Bell, Aunty Anne Martin.
Research Outputs/Publications#
Australian Cybernetic: A Point Through Time (2024)
Professor Brendan Traw#
Currently: available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
After completing his PhD in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, Brendan spent the next 25 years at Intel Corporation as a systems architect and executive, focused on solving challenges at the intersection of technology, policy, and business, rising to Fellow in 2003 and Senior Fellow in 2015. Along the way, he received 34 patents in the areas of content protection, systems architecture, and network security, two Intel Achievement Awards (Intel’s highest honor), and recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for two technologies of which he was a creator with their Technology and Engineering Emmy awards in 2009 (HDMI) and 2015 (HDCP).
Domain/Subject Areas#
Brendan takes a multidisciplinary approach to his research and teaching, generally with a system technology nexus.
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Making problems tractable through the application of modularity, decomposition, and abstraction.
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Built it!
Associate Professor Maia Gould#
Currently: not available for primary supervision, not available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
Industry experience in communication, strategy and management theory and practice provides an entry into management cybernetics and complex systems management and leadership.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Management cybernetics, applied bioethics, market research
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Various theories in cybernetics, mostly as applied to how human organise themselves
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Survey design, synthetic thinking and writing, editing, data strategy
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Menzies Foundation, Services Australia, Birmingham Leadership Institute
Research Outputs/Publications#
Backbones & Blueprints: Cybernetic approaches to the metaverse (2023)
Re/defining Leadership report (2022)
“Do more data equal more truth? Toward a cybernetic approach to data”, Genevieve Bell, Maia Gould, Brenda Martin, Amy McLennan, Ellen O’Brien, Volume56, Issue2, Special Issue: Big Data and Social Policy in Australia, Australian Journal of Social Issues, June 2021 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajs4.168
“From secrecy to dignity: trust and policy implications of shifting attitudes to privacy”, Adam Henschke, Ryan Young, Maia Gould, Hannah Smith, National Security College Policy Options Paper no.10: https://apo.org.au/node/217631 (2019)
Associate Professor Matthew Holt#
Currently: available for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
Cybernetician, design historian, designer with extensive experience in academic leadership, international and transnational education, and business and product development. My research is in the history and theory of design as it co-evolved with post-industrial practices and knowledge systems, including cybernetics and systems thinking. My teaching career has encompassed art history and theory, interdisciplinary design studies, design research, design methods and design thinking, and media and communications studies. I have also an ongoing creative practice: graphic and spatial design, fiction, publishing and theatre. Have been reading and thinking on cybernetics since the early 1990s.
Domain/Subject Areas#
History and theory of cybernetics; history of AI, history of systems thinking, socio-technical systems thinking and design; history of art (including contemporary art), history and theory of design, design education, design research, history of post-industrialism, history and theory of the concept of environment; theories of democracy
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Post-Kantian continental philosophy, theories of knowledge and history, intellectual ecology/ history of ideas; systems
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Cybernetic historiography, history and historicity, transdisciplinary methods and research, writing, learning design
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Research Outputs/Publications#
Some are here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7MX3ks8AAAAJ&hl=en
Associate Professor Amy McLennan#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision, available as panel member
I’m a medical anthropologist, educator and systemic collaborator, with a commitment to improving human wellbeing. My main research interests at the moment are food, health, chronic illness and gender.
In terms of cybernetics, my work runs in a similar current to that of Mary Catherine Bateson.
Please find more information about me on my ANU Researcher profile
Associate Professor Ash Lenton#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
I have a PhD in Archaeology. My research operates at the intersection of material culture studies, architectural history, heritage studies, identity studies, sociology, semiotics, and phenomenological relationships. I call myself a post-structural archaeologist and am interested in how humans create social concepts of themselves and others in relation to the technologies and their environments. The analogies I create with reference to lived past human experiences are prehistories of cybernetics. I have expertise in designing, steering and completing large-scale complex systemic projects including fieldwork, laboratory analysis, photogrammetry, 3D modelling, building design, and education.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Humans’ social concepts of themselves and others in relation to the technologies and their environments.
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Sociology, semiotics, and phenomenology, agency theories.
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Fieldwork, laboratory analysis, photogrammetry, 3D modelling, building design, and education
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Several Environmental and Heritage Consultancies
ANU Gender Institute
ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology
ANU BSGIP
Australian Energy Regulator
National Film & Sound Archive
National Gallery of Australia
SCENE
Services Australia
University of Cambridge
University of Canberra
University of Central Lancashire
University of Dundee
University of Sydney
University of York
Historic England
Research Outputs/Publications#
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Da-Lenton
Senior Fellow Hannah Feldman#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision and as panel member (project proposals must be linked strongly to the below for consideration)
Entries into Cybernetics#
I work primarily in water social science, with an academic and practice background in science communication, especially in contentious or political environmental areas (climate justice, water policy etc.) I also have a love for making and tinkering, and in a past life was manager of programs at the Questacon Maker Space in Deakin. Cybernetics brings complex human systems, especially enduring and dynamic socio-environmental problems like climate change and water variability, face to face with an increasingly tech-mediated future. I love to work with under-represented groups in the community, like kids, and champion their voices in the decisions we make about our collective future.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Science communication (research and design/delivery), water systems (both social and technical), youth/ intergenerational research, decision making under uncertainty, futuring, climate change social sciences, AI social science, leadership, cross-boundary communication/decision making, First Nations community outcomes and scholarship (as non-Indigenous person) especially in water justice and data sovereignty
Theory toolkit and strengths#
qualitative analyses (eg grounded theory), communication theory, youth/intergenerational theory, political sciences, education and learning theory, science communication theory (as an academic field, not only as a practice/skillset), Indigenist Standpoint Pedagogy (Phillips, 2019)
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
mixed methodology design, social science tools, design thinking, workshop/engagement/outreach design, communication
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Institute for Water Futures (ANU), Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (ANU), Crawford and Fenner Schools (ANU), One Basin CRC (Murray Darling Basin focus), Catchment Management Authorities (VIC and Landscape Boards in SA), ACT Government environment teams (biodiversity, water science, policy)
Research Outputs/Publications#
Senior Lecturer Gabriela Ferraro#
Currently: available for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
Trained as a Computer Scientist and in Applied Linguistics. Mostly applied research in the language technology space and machine learning.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Computing, Natural Language Processing, Computational linguistics, Knowledge representation, Applied Machine Learning, coding, open source software
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Meaning-to-text theory for text representation and generation, systems theory
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Experiment design, experiment evaluation
Collaborations/Partnerships#
ANU Medical School, University of Canberra - Health Hub, Univerisidad Pontificia de Valparaiso (Chile)
Research Outputs/Publications#
Gabriela Ferraro - Google Scholar
Senior Lecturer Jess Herrington#
Currently: available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
Jess is a Futurist, Creative Artist, and Neuroscientist. She integrates her expertise in neuroscience, creativity, and technology in her role as Futures Specialist at the ANU School of Cybernetics. Focusing on artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, and human perception, Jess is dedicated to redefining our interaction with and comprehension of emerging technologies.
Jess holds a PhD in neuroscience, specializing in human visual perception, along with degrees in Philosophy, Psychology, and Visual Art. Her professional journey before ANU involved collaborating with leading global brands to develop innovative digital experiences. Her projects span from creating AR/VR environments for film-makers to developing educational applications, notably an augmented reality app designed to enhance neuroanatomy education at the Australian National University Medical School.
Her artistic work has been featured at international conferences, art galleries, and festivals. As a committed advocate for inclusivity in technology, Jess has mentored young digital creators and spoken at institutions such as the Royal College of Arts in London and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Her written work, exploring the intersections of art, technology and futures, appears in publications such as the Springer Series for Cultural Computing.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Futures, Design, Art, Neuroscience, Visual Perception, Psychology, Creative Technology, Brain- Computer Interfaces, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Analytic Philosophy
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Visual Perception, Cognition, Cross Modal Perception, Human Computer Interaction, Neurodesign, Design Thinking, Contemporary Art
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Quantitative Data Analysis, Systems Design, Psychophysics
Collaborations/Partnerships#
Eccles Institute of Neuroscience – John Curtin School of Medical Research
Research Outputs/Publications#
Some outputs are here: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=HYD0Xr0AAAAJ&hl=en
Senior Lecturer Jessamy Perriam#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
My entry into cybernetics is really formed around questions around the intersection of society and technology. Technologies impact society and the environment, but it’s not always immediately obvious how this happens—this is where I think cybernetics can provide us with some theories, methods and case studies to further investigate this. Cybernetics can be used as theory, method or object of study to help us view the world in different ways.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Public sector digital transformation, digital sociology, tech in customer service, failure, accountability, media and communication studies, comparative transnational studies, research ethics, ethics of care,
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Actor-Network Theory, Science and Technology Studies, Feminist STS, presentation of self, (digital) sociological imagination, human-computer interaction (HCI), computer supported cooperative work (CSCW)
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Ethnography, digital social research methods, participatory methods, interviews, content analysis, issue mapping, controversy mapping, inventive methods, workshopping, comparative studies, applied qualitative research (user research), Danish language
Collaborations / Partnerships#
Associate Professor, IT University of Copenhagen, primarily working with the Technologies in Practice Research group, the ETHOS Lab, the DIGI-Front project and the Centre for Digital Welfare.
Writing collaborations with The Open University, UK
Expert Fellow, SPRITE+ Network, UK
Research Outputs / Publications#
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=w0ePuZ4AAAAJ
Senior Lecturer Ben Swift#
Currently: available for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
I am an interdisciplinary scholar, electronic/computer music artist and creative technologist. I lead the Cybernetic Studio within the School: a cybernetic community that makes things out of hardware/software/people/stuff to explore cybernetic systems and their impact on the world.
From the beginning of Cybernetics, material practice has been a key part of knowledge discovery. There are heaps of examples—Wiener’s hearing glove, Grey Walter’s tortoises, Ashby’s homeostat, Beer and Pask’s fungoid ‘whisper’ systems, and many more. That was my way in to cybernetics as well, through my computer music software development and practice-led creative research.
Domain/Subject Areas#
AI/machine learning, computational art & music, computing education, user experience (UX) design + prototyping
Theory toolkit and strengths#
practice-led research, interdisciplinary art/technology research (especially “creative coding”), user evaluation
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
software development (inc. AI model development and training), interactive and real-time distributed systems (web-based and otherwise), computer music, curriculum/learning design
Research Outputs/Publications#
Senior Lecturer Paul Wong#
Currently: limited availability for primary supervision, available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
A philosophical logician with interest in computational and mathematical logics. History of ideas (mostly Western tradition). Also studied Fine and Performance Art (music composition, 2 subjects from an additional degree). Defence analyst using Complex System Theory and Network Theory. Data analyst and manager at Enterprise level.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Non-classical logics, Network Science and Complex Systems, Modelling and Simulation. Data engineering / management. Unsupervised learning (topic modelling, phrase extraction and some NLP techniques). Current member of Playback Ensemble ACT and ACT Ansile Music Club (both focus on improv performances)
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Jack of all trade - expert in none. Proving theorems is as close to a theoretical toolkit as it gets.
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
mostly computational approach to data/analysis and modelling, good old fashion philosophical or conceptual analysis. Currently experimenting with collective improv art form and performance as ways to understand “regulation” and “goal directed behaviour”
Research Outputs/Publications#
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6515-1860
Lecturer Sungyeon Hong#
Currently: available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
Sungyeon’s academic background lies in mathematics and physics, with a deep interest in pattern formation—whether structural or behavioural—through the lens of self-organisation in complex adaptive systems. Driven by a fascination with universality and its ability to transcend the specific details of individual components or agents, her work seeks to illuminate how complex collective phenomena, such as perception, resilience, and creativity, emerge from the interactions within dynamic systems.
Her research focuses particularly on the use of topology as a tool for understanding such systems. By identifying characteristic structures that act as signatures of dynamical properties, Sungyeon explores how topological methods can reveal hidden patterns and flows within complex environments. She is especially interested in extending the application of topological analysis to study the flow of energy and information, across diverse domains including group dynamics and music composition.
Domain/Subject Areas#
Statistical physics, phase transitions, entropy
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Scaling theory, universality, information theory, topological data analysis (TDA)
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Computational modelling and simulation, Python programming, persistent homology
Research Outputs/Publications#
Lecturer Safiya Okai-Ugbaje#
Currently: available as panel member
Entries into Cybernetics#
I have a PhD in educational technology and computing and have done extensive research in the cloud computing and green ICT domains. My passion has always been in doing research that moves beyond great propositions and theory. I am constantly thinking of innovative solutions that align theory with practice to provide tailored, practical, and sustainable solutions. In this space, I successfully developed a framework that demonstrates how local opportunities can be effectively utilised to address contextual problems. I came into cybernetics by chance, and since being at the School I have found cybernetics to be a unifying framework to bring together different aspects and how they can work together harmoniously for the common good - which strongly aligns with my passion and overarching research interest.
Theory toolkit and strengths#
Theoretical and conceptual framework/model development, theory formulation and practice, innovation, adoption and diffusion theories
Methodological toolkit and strengths#
Mixed methods research, case study, Delphi technique, design science and action research, co-design methodology, high level review methodologies (scoping, systematic, integrative, meta-analysis and synthesis, and mixed methods reviews)
Collaborations/Partnerships#
University of Canberra (RC-Disc: Research Cluster of Digital inequality and social change)
Research Outputs/Publications#
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=safiya+okai
