School of Computing, University of Otago

02/06/2026

Exciting discussions to establish the proposed Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine-Otago Smart Health College, with planning across four proposed collaborative programmes in Data Science, Biomedical Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and Public Health 🙌 You will be able to spot some familiar faces!

🌏 Last week, the University of Otago welcomed representatives from AIFE and Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM) as part of ongoing discussions to establish the proposed NJUCM- Otago Smart Health College.

The visit provided an opportunity to progress programme development, curriculum alignment, and future student recruitment planning across four proposed collaborative programmes in Data Science, Biomedical Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and Public Health.

The visit reflects the growing strength of the partnership and Otago's commitment to international collaboration, transnational education, and engagement in China. The collaboration represents an important step in expanding Otago's global engagement and creating innovative international education opportunities.

We thank our colleagues from AIFE and NJUCM for their continued partnership and look forward to the launch of the NJUCM- Otago Smart Health College later in the year 🤝.

27/05/2026

Friday's seminar will be presented by Senior Lecturer L**h Szymanski 🙌

L**h will present Joint Flow Matching, a training framework based on continuous normalising flows, which he and Dr Hayden McAlister have recently developed.

23/05/2026

Congratulations to everyone who graduated this month 💙 💛 🎓 Caps off to Dr Hayden McAlister, Dr Kushani Perera, Dr Yuan Yue and Dr Zahrasadat Torabi for receiving doctorates. And thank you to the supervisors for their incredible support: L**h Szymanski, Anthony Robins, Holger Regenbrecht, Tobias Langlotz, Nadia Pantidi, Jeremiah Deng, Dirk De Ridder, Patrick Manning, David Eyers and Veronica Liesaputra.

Also a big congrats to Parvez Shaik, Shuo Tang, Tong Mou and Xiaohua Zhang (MAppSc in Artificial Intelligence); Bakhombisile Dlamini (MAppSc in Software Engineering); Aakanksha Sethi, Aaron Sanderson, Hoi Yi Kwok, Krupali Patel, Orion Soti, Sakthivel Vadivel, Sarah Putri and Sophie Flentge (MBusDataSc); Tristan Kitto (DipGrad in Data Science); Dante Vannini (BSc(Hons) in Computer Science); Emily Findlay (BA in Information Science); Nkanyiso Ndlovu (BAppSc in Software Engineering and Computer Science); Leuotele Tamati (BAppSc in Software Engineering); Seda Jorgensen (BComSc in Computer Science); Thomas Coffey (BComSc in Information Science); Jenna McLaren (BSc in Computer Science and Data Science); Fergus Short and Max Gorst (BSc in Computer Science and Software Engineering); Amelia Johnston, Angus Lyall, Bwenatetu Tekanene, Caleb Hughes, Cameron Clark, Charlotte Cook, Daniel Hubers, Jackson Kelly, Lachlan McIntyre, Oliver Griffin, Oliver Peyroux, Samuel Goddard, Theodore Dodd, Theodore Fink and William Campbell (BSc in Computer Science); Alexander Childs, Kruti Mistry and Thomas Prior (BSc in Data Science); Advait Bhave, Nuhaka Maitai and Rocky Mei (BSc in Information Science).

22/05/2026

Professor Steven Mills is giving the Gibbons Memorial Lecture at University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau next Tuesday at 6pm 👏 Steven will reflect on his work in culture and heritage applications, and provide some thoughts as to how to place culture and community, rather than profit and power, at the heart of what we choose to do. The lecture will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/live/DOBFvWkD55A

Our annual Gibbons Lectures series are intended to describe ongoing research in Computer Science to a wider public.

20/05/2026

Friday's seminar will be presented by Professor Steven Mills 🙌

The pace of AI development is outstripping our ability to understand its consequences and is increasingly driven by a few large commercial interests. Given our increased power, it is the responsibility of all of us to wisely choose what we do (or do not do) with these new technologies. Steven will reflect on his work in culture and heritage applications, and try to provide some thoughts on how to place culture and community, rather than profit and power, at the heart of what we choose to do.

18/05/2026

Join researchers and clinicians working at the forefront of AI in health (including Professor Jeremiah Deng) for an engaging and timely discussion on where the field is heading. The event is being held at Tūhura Otago Museum on Thursday 28th May, 1-3pm. Register for the event at the link below 🏥

Join researchers and clinicians working at the forefront of AI in health for an engaging and timely discussion on where the field is heading

13/05/2026

Friday's seminar will be presented by Senior Lecturer Claudia Ott 🙌

What if you could hear birds from around the world without travelling? What if you could see their habitat in an immersive environment and explore places which are hard to get to? Claudia will introduce the project background, the first encounters with the local birding community, the current prototype and report on findings from the latest user study.

11/05/2026

Congratulations to our student Alexander Lea for being awarded the inaugural University of Otago Dunedin City Council Entrance Scholarship 👏 "Vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said Mr Lea stood out from the other applicants because he had already shown himself to be a great student and also someone interested in helping in his community." Ka pai Alex!

The timing could not have been better for Alexander Lea. Just as the government announced it would be scrapping the fees-free tertiary education...

06/05/2026

Friday's seminar will be presented by Professor Brendan McCane 🙌

Brendan will introduce a new measure of computational intelligence based on intervention complexity. He will discuss the properties of this measure, where (he thinks) humanity and large language models are on the scale, and the implications for super-intelligence.

04/05/2026

A big thank you to all of you, parents and prospective students, who came along to Otago Open Day to find out about what we offer 💙💛 Great to get so many questions at our booth but also after the talks given by our Head of School Grant Dick. Also, congratulations Grant for your 20 year anniversary as a lecturer at Otago 🥳