Surveillance expert is new head of research

Professor Mike Brooks.
Photo by Naomi Jellicoe.
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Friday, 18 July 2008

An expert in using artificial intelligence to enhance video camera surveillance, Professor Mike Brooks, has been appointed to lead the research operations at one of Australia's leading research institutions, the University of Adelaide.

Professor Brooks has been appointed to the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) to provide leadership and vision on research and research education across the University.

"Professor Brooks is an outstanding appointment to the role, and he will be critical in helping the University to achieve its strategic aim of becoming one of the world's great research universities," says the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor James McWha.

"As an internationally regarded researcher, Professor Brooks has an in-depth understanding of the needs of the individual researcher as well our overall research operations. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, and also has the kind of energy, drive and enthusiasm for research that this role needs.

"Professor Brooks has a unique understanding of the University's research activities thanks to his former role as Chair of the Research Quality Framework Board, where he played a major part in auditing the University's research capability, and in his role over the past year as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Strategy)."

Professor Mike Brooks says: "I'm honoured to be able to take on this role at the University of Adelaide, which is one of Australia's great research universities and a powerhouse of research in South Australia.

"The University already makes a significant impact worldwide in terms of research, but we can achieve so much more. We are highly regarded internationally for a number of key research areas, especially within the health sciences and the sciences, in areas that impact on many people's lives on a daily basis. We also have a wide range of research collaborations with government, business and industry.

"This is an exciting time to be involved in the University's research efforts, and I look forward to helping to grow the opportunities for research and research education in this State for the benefit of our staff, students and the community."

Professor Mike Brooks is a leading international researcher in computer vision and image analysis. His work has seen wide commercial use in the security and defence industries and has resulted in international awards. Professor Brooks is Research Leader of Video Surveillance within the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies at the University of Adelaide and is a former Head of the School of Computer Science, where he holds the Chair in Artificial Intelligence.

He has published numerous influential papers in the field of computer vision, image analysis and surveillance and has won many Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grants for his research.

Professor Brooks is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, Co-Investigator with the ARC Research Network for a Secure Australia, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Computer Vision, and serves on the Board of National ICT Australia.

In 2007, the University of Adelaide earned $116 million from external funding sources for research.

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