Biography

I am an Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the School of Computing, University of Portsmouth, and the Course Leader for the MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. I received my PhD in Computing from the University of Portsmouth in 2018 and hold additional postgraduate qualifications in Educational Leadership and Management and Senior Leadership.

I am an active member of the Portsmouth AI and Data Science Centre (PAIDS), where I lead the Language Processing and Interdisciplinary Inference research area, and a member of the British Educational Leadership, Management, and Administration Society (BELMAS).

My teaching and research activities integrate cutting-edge developments in AI and Machine Learning with interdisciplinary applications that address societal, industrial, and educational challenges.

Research interests

My research focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular emphasis on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML). I am particularly interested in developing context-aware and socially responsible AI models that advance research in language and emotion analysis, cybersecurity intelligence, human–AI collaboration, and AI for social good. My recent research investigates AI-driven approaches to online misogyny and harmful language detection, with a focus on transformer-based language models, conversational context, and semantic understanding. I also explore advanced NLP techniques, including semantic information retrieval, hybrid search methods, and grammatical and syntactic representations to improve text classification, interpretability, and robustness across diverse domains. My research interests also extend to Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), AI bias, fairness, and responsible AI, including investigating biases in AI models, improving transparency and interpretability, and exploring approaches to developing trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI systems. My interdisciplinary research also encompasses intelligent decision support systems and the application of AI in education, with an emphasis on enhancing teaching, learning, and educational leadership through adaptive technologies, data-informed decision-making, and the development of AI literacy.

I have contributed to several externally funded research and innovation projects as Co-Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator, including initiatives supported by the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme and Portsmouth City Council. These projects have focused on applying AI to leadership development, innovation, and sustainable community systems. I have also led research project as Principal Investigator, including the AI-Driven Analysis of Online Misogyny project, which employs advanced natural language processing and machine learning techniques to investigate and address online gender-based harms. Through these projects, I actively promote interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the translation of academic research into practical solutions with societal and industrial impact.

Beyond my research leadership, I serve as a panel member and reviewer for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), contributing to the evaluation of national funding schemes.

My research has been published in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including Expert Systems with Applications, Information Processing & Management, Knowledge and Information Systems, and the Artificial Intelligence Applications and Innovations (AIAI) conference series. I also contribute to academic publishing through editorial board memberships and peer-review activities for leading journals, including IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge-Based Systems, and Artificial Intelligence Review.

Actively engaged in the international AI community, I have chaired and organised sessions at major conferences (e.g., AIAI, ICTA, WEBIST) and serve on programme committees for leading NLP and AI events, including ACL, EMNLP, and AACL-IJCNLP. I have delivered keynote and invited talks internationally—most recently at the 20th International Workshop on Semantic and Social Media Adaptation & Personalisation (2025)—and was a keynote speaker at Women in Data Science (WiDS 2018) in the UK.

My contributions to AI research and its applications have been recognised through several awards, including the Best Paper Award at UKCI and the Bronze Prize for Best Research & Innovation Project in Cyber Security, awarded by the Korean Industrial Technology Security Hub.

Available PhD (Self-Funded) Projects:

• Trustworthy and Human-Centred NLP: Bias, Interpretability, and Evaluation
• AI-Driven Analysis of Online Misogyny
• Detection and utilisation of learning-related emotion using machine learning within an education setting
• Enhancing Text Mining through Advanced AI and Machine Learning Techniques for Knowledge Discovery
• Exploit Learning Related Emotion to Improve students Engagement and Motivation in Higher Education

Teaching responsibilities

• Course Leader for the MSc in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.
• Module Leader for Applied AI and Machine Learning in the BSc (Hons) Data Science and AI program.
• Lecturer for Intelligent Data and Text Analytics in the MSc in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and MSc in Data Analytics programs.

Media availability

I am available for media commentary and expert interviews on topics related to Artificial Intelligence.