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The following is a list of academics interested in supervising projects, along with their research areas; some have also listed currently available honours projects. Also listed are a selection of past honours projects.

If you're a student considering what you want your honours project to be, you should use these as a starting point to get an idea of the areas of interest of academics, and discuss possible projects with them.

From time to time there are also a few projects offered by people outside the Department. These will typically require an associate supervisor from within the Department; please discuss this with the honours convenor.

Current Research Areas and Proposed Projects

• Steve Cassidy
  research area: language technology
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Web based visualisation of corpus data
  • Implementation of a Corpus Query language
  some past topics:
  
  • Topic Segmentation in Spoken Dialogue
  • Presenting Annotated Linguistic Data Using Stylesheet Transformations (PALDUST)


• Robert Dale
  Research area: language technology
  Specific proposed topics:
  
  • Record Linkage for Crowd-Sourced Bibliographic Metadata
  • Corpus-based Correction of OCR-introduced Spelling Errors
  • Inferring Document Structure
  • An Automated Newsreader
  • An Intelligent Agent for the Map Task
Some past topics:

• Identifying and resolving one-anaphora
• Creating a Voice Portal in the University Domain
• VoiceDBC: A Semi-Automatic Tool for Writing Speech Applications


• Christophe Doche
  research area: cryptography
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Elliptic Curve Cryptography
  • Fair Automarking


• Mark Dras
  research area: language technology
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Agent-based simulation of language change
  • Machine Translation
  • Paraphrase under constraints
  some past topics:
  
  • Agent-Based Economic Simulation: Modelling Cyclic Behaviour
  • Genetic Programming in a Co-Evolutionary Environment
  • GLEU: A Method for Automatic Evaluation of Sentence-Level Grammaticality


• Jason Friedman [Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science]
  research area: virtual reality, human movement, cognitive science
  

• Mark Johnson
  research areas: language technology, machine learning, computational psycholinguistics
  specific research topics:
  
  • Using semantic categories to improve syntactic parsing
  • Parsing in parallel using GPUs
  • Using text data-mining to predict stock-market movements
  • Computational models of human word learning
  • Using more complex features in dependency parsing
  
  
• Len Hamey
  research area: computer vision, networks
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Numberplate recognition
  • On-line security protocol game: Develop a GUI on-line implementation of the security protocol game to help students understand security protocols
  • Machine vision for industrial applications: Develop and test a real-world machine vision application, may involve working with an industry partner
  • Machine Learning of Colour Image Analysis for Biscuit Grading
  • Computer vision
  • Neural networks
  • Computer networks
  some past topics:
  
  • Object Motion with Occlusion
  • Secure Voice over IP: Performance enhancement for VoIP through VPN and Firewall enforcing H.323 VoIP access control
  • End-to-End Security for Voice over IP
  • Securing Voice over IP: The role and implementation of a gatekeeper
  • Number plate recognition segmentation


• Michael Hitchens
  research area: networks, computer games
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Analysis of Character Interaction in Computer Games (with Manloya Kavakli)
  • The Effect of Avatars on Player Immersion in First Person Shooters
  • The Role of the Games master in Roleplaying


• Manolya Kavakli
  research area: computer graphics and games
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Requirements Analysis for an Augmented Reality User Interface
  • Integration of Motion Tracking into a Generic Virtual Reality Engine
  • Virtual Gallipoli: An Educational War-strategy Simulation
  some past topics:
  
  • Modelling risk and strategies in gameplay
  • 3D Sketching in Virtual Reality
  • Risk assessment for crime prevention in Virtual Environments


• Manning Li
  research area: intelligent systems
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Intelligent systems
  • Human computer interaction
  • Service Science
  • E-government, M-commerce
  
  
• Bernard Mans
  research area: distributed algorithms, mobile ad hoc networks
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Animations for Algorithms
  • Algorithms for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
  • Algorithms for Intermittently Connected Networks
  • Algorithms for Sensor Networks
  • Algorithms for Mobile Robots
  • Algorithms for Hand-held and Mobile devices
  • Distributed and Mobile Applications for mobile phones
  some past topics:
  
  • Topology control in mobile ad hoc networks


• Scott McCallum
  research area: algebraic computing
  


• Annabelle McIver
  research area: randomised algorithms
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Randomised security protocols
  • Performance analysis of wireless sensor networks
  • Electronic voting


• Diego Molla Aliod
  research area: language technology, with particular emphasis on medical texts
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Cluster Medical Research Papers
  • Classification of Medical Questions
  some past topics:
  
  • An Answer Comparison Engine for an Open-domain Intelligent Tutoring System
  • WordNet Localisation
  • JustAsk!: Improving Searches on the Macquarie Website
  • QAUMEA -- Question Answering Using Mini ExtrAns


• Abhaya Nayak
  research area: logics, belief revision
  


• Josef Pieprzyk
  research area: security, cryptography
  specific proposed topics:
  • Analysis of hash functions
  • Analysis of encryption algorithms
  • Analysis of biometrics techniques
  • Analysis of steganographic techniques
  some past topics:
  
  • Application of Cumulative Arrays Secret Sharing Schemes into Threshold RSA Decryption
  • Level Based Intrusion Detection in a CGI Environment
  • Investigation of Factoring Algorithms
  • Improvements on the PayWord Micropayment Scheme
  • Incoercible Electronic Elections
  • Computer Virus Detection: An Application of Firewall Technologies
  
  
• Debbie Richards
  research area: knowledge systems
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Finding AI-based techniques to test and correct Cochlear hearing implants
  • Pedagogical planning in an Intelligent Agent-Augmented Multi-User Virtual Environment
  • Investigating the role of realism and empathy on knowledge transfer
  • Working in team-based ICT projects
  • Automatic validation of UML models
  • Do we need girls in IT?
  • Reconciling Use Case Descriptions from Multiple Viewpoints
  some past topics:
  
  • Data Mining in the Network Domain
  • Using Artificial Intelligence and Immersive Virtual Environments to Assist Psychological Experimentation


• Rolf Schwitter
  research area: language technology
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Abduction for text interpretation
  some past topics:
  
  • ECOLE: Providing Writing Assistance for a Controlled Language


• Igor Shparlinski
  research area: cryptography, number theory
  


• Tony Sloane
  research area: programming languages, compilers
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • various Programming Languages Research Group projects
  some past topics:
  
  • Formal verification of attribute grammar specifications
  • Extending an Interactive Development Environment to Support Compiler Specification


• Johnson Thie [Australian School of Advanced Medicine]
  research area: biomedical engineering
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Development of an algorithm to denoise videos acquired with high-speed video camera and to detect retinal vessels
  • Development of optimal data compression and channel coding in PIC24F microcontrollers for sub-GHz wireless communication
  • Application of multifocal visual evoked potential (specific brain activity due to visual stimuli) as biometrics
  • Design of a client-server system towards web-browser plugin for online collection of EEG (brain activity) during web browsing and video presentation
  
  
• Vijay Varadharajan
  research area: security, privacy and trust
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Entropy and Malware Detection
  • Cloud Computing Security, Security Policy Languages, Trust models
  • Security in Web Services and Service Oriented Architectures
  • Secure Virtualization Systems
  • Security in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
  • Security in Sensor Networks and Applications
  • Security in Peer to Peer Computing Applications
  • Trusted Computing
  • Privacy Enhanced Technologies
  • Formal Security Models and Verification
  • Security in Mobile Agents


• Dom Verity
  research area: programming languages, compilers, category theory
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • various Programming Languages Research Group projects


• Huaxiong Wang
  research area: cryptography
  some past topics:
  
  • Design and Implementation of a Micropayment Scheme


• Yan Wang
  research area: security models, e-commerce, P2P networks, trust computing
  specified proposed topics:
  
  • Peer-to-Peer Security.
  • Pervasive E-Commerce.
  • Trust and Risk Analysis/Evaluation.
  • Agent and Web Services.


• Jian Yang
  research area: information systems
  specific proposed topics:
  
  • Visual Interface for Developing Business Collaboration
  • Context Aware Configurable Business Process Development
  • Specifying and Managing Access Policies for Business Collaboration
  • Supporting Reliable Collaborative Business Transactions

Mark Dras, Honours Convenor