Professor Ryszard Kowalczyk joined the University of South Australia in 2022 from Swinburne University of Technology, where he was Director of Swinburne’s Key Lab for Intelligent Software Systems and Head of Distributed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems Research Group, and the former inaugural Wipro Chair of AI, also at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Prior to this, he led AI research at CSIRO and a number of corporate research and development centres in Australia and overseas. Professor Kowalczyk’s research interests include AI, autonomous software agents and collective intelligence for automated and optimised decision-making, and their applications in digital eco-systems of interacting systems, people and things, including cyber-physical-social eco-systems. It involves automated reasoning, negotiation, learning, adaptation and self-organisation in autonomous multi-agent systems, enabling smart infrastructure, smart cities, smart exchanges and industry 4.0.
Professor Kowalczyk has co-authored four patents, published more than 250 scientific articles, and provided expert policy advice to government bodies in Australia and overseas. He has been awarded over 30 research and development projects funded by competitive grants and industry in excess of $25 million, delivering significant research and commercial benefits. His current and past industry collaborators include Wipro, Defence Science and Technology Group, Zimbani, CGREI, Suncorp Australia, AARNet, Siemens, Telstra, VastPark, Canon Australia, IBM Australia, Australian Navy, SAP Software and Solutions and DaimlerChrysler.
Professor Kowalczyk received PhD in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) from Silesian University of Technology in Poland and holds a lifetime title of State Professor awarded by the President of Poland.