Keynote Speakers

Prof. Ferdous Sohel

Murdoch University, Australia

Ferdous Sohel received PhD degree from Monash University, Australia. He is currently a Professor in Information Technology at Murdoch University, Australia. Prior to joining Murdoch University, he was a Research Assistant Professor/Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia. His research interests include artificial intelligence, image processing, machine learning, computer vision, digital agriculture, and digital medicine. Prof Sohel is a recipient of several research grants worth more than $4.5 million. Notably, he is a recipient of the prestigious Discovery Project and Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) funded by the Australian Research Council. He is a recipient of the Learning and Teaching grant on Work Integrated Learning and a Community grant for Invasive Ants detection and tracking from Australia’s national competitive pools. He has also won two WA State Govt. funded competitive grants on shark hazard mitigation and digital pathology to improve cancer diagnosis. He is a recipient of the VC’s Early Career Investigators award (UWA) and a best PhD thesis medal from Monash University. He has won several best paper awards. He is an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, IEEE Signal Processing Letters, and Computers and Electronics in Agriculture journals. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Australian Computer Society, and a senior member of the IEEE.

Artificial intelligence and digital capabilities in agriculture, health and environment

Abstract

Deep learning (DL) models have been successful in achieving high performance in a variety of applications ranging from computer vision, health informatics, digital agriculture, cyber security and remote sensing. Over the past decade, a continuous stream of new and powerful DL models has been developed. However, to fit the data sets or real applications, DL networks face several key challenges, such as problem formulation, data scarcity, class imbalance, missing attributes, and low fidelity in the data. Various strategies such as network topology, data augmentation, different activation functions, cost-sensitive learning and fusion of multiple networks are applied to tackle these problems. Furthermore, with increasing network complexities, DL models require more powerful computing hardware resources. This talk will cover an overview of the progress, challenges and prospects of artificial intelligence and digital capabilities in agriculture, health and the environment.

Prof. Tony Quek

Tony Q.S. Quek received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, respectively. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Currently, he is the Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and ST Engineering Distinguished Professor. He also serves as the Head of ISTD Pillar, Director for Future Communications R&D Programme, Sector Lead for SUTD AI Program, and the Deputy Director of SUTD-ZJU IDEA. His current research topics include wireless communications and networking, 6G, network intelligence, non-terrestrial networks, and open radio access network.

Dr. Quek has been actively involved in organizing and chairing sessions and has served as a TPC member in numerous international conferences. He is currently serving as an Area Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. He was an Executive Editorial Committee Member of the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Communications, and an Editor of the IEEE Wireless Communications Letters.

Dr. Quek received the 2008 Philip Yeo Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Research, the 2012 IEEE William R. Bennett Prize, the 2016 IEEE Signal Processing Society Young Author Best Paper Award, the 2017 CTTC Early Achievement Award, the 2017 IEEE ComSoc AP Outstanding Paper Award, the 2020 IEEE Communications Society Young Author Best Paper Award, the 2020 IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize, the 2020 Nokia Visiting Professorship, and the the 2022 IEEE Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering Singapore.

Open RAN: From 5G Applications to 6G Research

Abstract

Today, mobile network operators source their entire radio access network (RAN) from one supplier or use multiple suppliers in different geographic areas. One of the key characteristics of Open RAN is to allow RAN components from different suppliers to be interoperable through open interfaces. Furthermore, Open RAN also allows the splitting/disaggregating of different network functions and the cloudification and virtualisation of network functions. While Open RAN is still at the early stage of development and deployment for 5G networks, there is nevertheless potential that it can be a fundamental part of 6G. In this talk, we will provide an overview of Open RAN and the pathway towards 6G. In addition, we will share Singapore’s first national Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP) to jumpstart cutting-edge communications and connectivity research, especially on Open RAN research and development.

Dr. Saaveethya Sivakumar

Curtin University Malaysia, Malaysia

MGA Rep, IEEE Young Professionals

Saaveethya is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Curtin University Malaysia. She also serves as the program coordinator for the Bachelor of Computing (Software Engineering) and as the Head of Training and Development in the Faculty of Engineering and Science at Curtin University Malaysia. Saaveethya completed her PhD at Monash University and her B.Eng. in Electronic and Communication Engineering at Curtin University. She was awarded the Keysight Best Electronic Communication Graduate Award by Curtin Malaysia in 2015. Her research focuses on Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Software Engineering, Gamification, Signal Processing, Image Processing, Gait Analysis, Biomechanics, and Biomedical Engineering. Saaveethya has been serving as the Vice Chair at IEEE Young Professionals since 2023 and previously served as the Chair for the IEEE Region 10 (Asia Pacific) Young Professionals Committee from 2021 to 2023. She received the Malaysia Section Women In Engineering Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016 and the IEEE MGA Young Professionals Achievement Award in 2021. She is passionate about cultivating STEM skills in students from early childhood through pre-university and university levels, fostering a culture of work-integrated, project-based, collaborative, and inclusive learning.

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Prof. Luh Putu Mahyuni

Universitas Pendidikan Nasional (Undiknas University), Indonesia

Luh Putu Mahyuni received her Ph.D degree in Accounting from Curtin University, Western Australia. She holds Bachelor of Accounting and Master of Science in Financial Management degrees from Udayana University and Gadjah Mada University, respectively. Currently, she is a Professor in Sustainability Accounting at Undiknas University, Indonesia. Additionally, she serves as the Head of Academic Accountant at Institute of Indonesia Chartered Accountants, Bali Chapter. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability accounting, sustainable business performance, digital applications in business, social entrepreneurship, finance and investment. She is also active as a sustainable business consultant, assisting state-owned enterprises and corporations in developing their CSR strategy, measuring the impacts of their CSR practices, and preparing their CSR reports.

Enhancing Ocean Literacy: An Immersive Virtual Reality Approach for the Coastal Community of Kalibukbuk Village, Bali

Indonesia, as a maritime country, holds abundant potential in marine resources. Approximately 77% of the total territory of the Republic of Indonesia consists of maritime areas. Indonesia is among the top five countries globally with the longest coastlines and boasts incredibly rich marine biodiversity. Despite its marine potential, unfortunately, many coastal communities in Indonesia live below the poverty line. The extreme poverty rate in coastal areas reaches 4.19%, which is higher than the national average of 4%. Poverty in coastal regions is largely due to the livelihoods of the majority of the population (90%), who still excessively rely on fishing for their daily sustenance. Meanwhile, coastal communities capable of developing income from marine tourism and creative industries enjoy better prosperity than those rely on fishing. Qualitative research conducted in the village of Kalibukbuk reveals that many of its residents are unaware of the rich potentials of their underwater resources and the threats they face to ensure the sustainability of their marine environment. Social entrepreneurs in Kalibukbuk Village have been working tirelessly to explore, map, take photos, and videos of their underwater environment. They then invest in immersive virtual reality to enhance ocean literacy among Kalibukbuk villagers, particularly targeting village decision-makers and young people. Such innovation has a tremendous impact in fostering collective commitment and movements to prevent waste from entering the ocean, support coral conservation, and develop a roadmap towards more sustainable marine tourism.