Invited Speakers 

Assoc. Prof. Xie Ming
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
 

Speech Title: KnowNet: A Large Knowledge Model
Abstract: With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, we are fortunate to witness the transition from achieving machine’s automation to achieving machine’s autonomy. On one hand, the success of Artificial Intelligence is guaranteed by the availability of big data which is the result of the formation of large systems that are interconnected by various networks. On the other hand, the importance of Artificial Intelligence is due to the urgent demand for self-intelligence by robots and machines of tomorrow. Interestingly, the critical step toward achieving machine’s self-intelligence is the ability of designing large knowledge models instead of improving existing databases. In this invited talk, I will share with the audience our research works which aim at providing a general guiding principle for the design of a large knowledge model under the new paradigm of AI 3.0. The published research findings could be found inside 1) Xie M., *Jayakumar K. S. and *Chia H. F., 2004, Meaning-centric Framework for Natural Text/Scene Understanding by Robots, International Journal of Humanoid Robotics, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 375-407, and 2) Xie M., 2024, Top-down Design of Human-like Teachable Mind, Special Issue in Celebrating IJHR’s 20th Year Anniversary, International Journal of Humanoid Robotics.


Biography: Xie Ming received the B.Eng degree in control and automation engineering from East-China Institute of Textile Technology (now, under the name of Donghua University, Shanghai, China). Subsequently, as a recipient of the nation's prestigious overseas scholarship of Chinese government, he has completed the postgraduate studies and doctorate research works, and has received the Master degree from the University of Valenciennes (France) in 1986 as well as the PhD degree from the University of Rennes (France) in 1989. Since 1986, he has worked as Research Assistant at IRISA-INRIA Rennes, Expert Engineer at INRIA Sophia-Antipolis, Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor of Nanyang Technological University, Fellow of Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) (Affiliated with Innovation in Manufacturing Systems and Technology Program), Guest Professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2002, 2006), Professor awarded by China's Jiangsu Provincial Government (2014), and Dean of College of Electrical Engineering and Control Science at Nanjing Tech University (2014-2016). He was the General Chair of 2007 International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR), the General Chair of 2009 International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications (ICIRA), the Co-founder of the International Journal of Humanoid Robotics (SCI/SCIE indexed), Co-founder of Singapore-China Association for Advancement of Science and Technology, Co-founder of Robotics Society of Singapore. He has taught the courses such as Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Machine Vision, Measurement and Sensing Systems, Microprocessor Systems, and University Physics. In terms of scientific research, he has authored three books in English, two books in Chinese, and two edited books in English. He has published several book chapters, over 10 patents of invention, over 40 research papers in scientific journals and over 100 research papers in international conferences. He was the recipient of one best conference paper award from World Automation Congress, the recipient of one best conference paper award from CLAWAR, the recipient of one outstanding paper award from International Journal of Industrial Robot, the recipient of one Gold Prize (S$8K) from CrayQuest, the recipient of one Grand Champion Prize (S$15K) from CrayQuest, the recipient of one A-Star's Best Research Idea Prize (S$5K), the recipient of one Silver Medal from Dragon Design Foundation.

 

Prof. William Yeoh
Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR  
 

Speech Title: Human-Centric Cyber Security for Contemporary Organisations
Abstract: In this talk, I will present my research in the field of human-centric cybersecurity, highlighting key milestones and lessons learned throughout the journey. My work focuses on the human and organisational dimensions of cybersecurity, covering areas such as zero-trust cybersecurity maturity, critical success factors for organisational cybersecurity, blockchain applications in cybersecurity, and simulated phishing attacks with embedded training interventions. These studies, published in leading peer-reviewed journals, offer actionable insights for both academics and practitioners. They provide valuable implications for enhancing cybersecurity culture, readiness, and resilience across organisations. Drawing on this experience, I will also discuss common challenges encountered during the research process, including interdisciplinary collaboration, industry engagement, and navigating publication pathways.


Biography: William Yeoh is a full professor at the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. Previously, he served at Deakin University’s Deakin Business School, where he was also the Innovation Head at Deakin Cyber Research and Innovation Centre. His research is supported by various funding bodies and has been published in top-tier journals. His research, teaching, and service have been recognised with several national and international awards, including the Researcher of the Year Award from the Australian Information Security Association (AISA), the ICT Educator of the Year Gold Award from the Australian Computer Society (ACS), Australia’s Top 25 Analytics Leaders award from the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA), internationally competitive IBM Faculty Awards, Deakin Faculty Research Excellence Award, and Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Value Innovation for his leadership of the IBM Centre of Excellence in Business Analytics. He is also an elected Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.

 

Assoc. Prof. NORMA BT ALIAS FS
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
 

 

Speech Title: AI algorithms, theorem, theory and mathematical foundations on HPC platform


Biography: Associate Professor Dr Norma Alias received her Ph.D. in Industrial Computing (Supercomputer) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She is the Committee of Synthetics Biology RG and Future Ready Educator 4.0. Handling 30 webinars per year at the local and international levels. She is among 40 UTM research excellence in the year 2006, Venus Distinguished Women Award and a mentor for SUNSHINE++ program. She is chair for 4 international conferences, MSMK Chief Editor and Associate Editorial Board for 38 international journals. Her research encompasses big data analytics on high-performance computing, validation of complex mathematical model, solving grand­challenge applications in nanotechnology, loT, Al-smart digital towards Industry 5.0