Ephraim K A Adongo
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Spatial-Temporal Graph Neural Networks In Anomalous Event Detection, Prediction and Explanation in the Financial Stock Market
Research Interests:Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Financial
Market, STGNN, Explainable AI
Ameerah Allie
Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Jesse Heyninck
Topic:
Research Interests:
Aidan Bailey
Main Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Alex Ivliev
Topic: Evaluating worst-case optimal join algorithms and index structures with
Kermit:a WCOJ benchmarking framework
Research Interests: knowledge representation and reasoning, software engineering, logic programming, practical applications and implementations of formal logics
Clayton Baker
Main Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Marco Ragni
Topic: Predictive Modelling of Individual Human Reasoning Using AGM Belief Revision
Research Interests: artificial intelligence, knowledge representation and reasoning, cognitive science, human behaviour, data science
Lucas Carr
Main Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Jesse Heyninck
Topic: Non-Monotonic Extensions to Formal Concept Anaylsis
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Defeasible Reasoning, Answer Set Programming
Dr Giovanni Casini
Giovani Cassini is a researcher at the Institute of Information Science and Technology – National Research Council of Italy (ISTI-CNR) and an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town. His area of specialisation is in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, including Non-monotonic Reasoning, Belief Revision, Description Logics, Normative Reasoning, Semantic Web Technologies and Languages, Fuzzy Logics and Probabilistic Logics.
Rachel Catzel
Main Supervisor: Jonathan Shock
Co-Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Investigating Brain Ageing in HIV-Positive Individuals Using a Neural Network
Research Interests: medical/biological machine learning
Chipo Hamayobe
Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Jonas Haldimann
Topic: KLM-Style Defeasible Reasoning Explanations
Research Interests: Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Non-Monotonic Reasoning, Defeasible Reasoning, Software Engineering
Dr Jesse Heyninck
Jesse Heyninck completed his PhD in Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Sciences at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. He is currently an assistant professor in computer science at the Open Universiteit Heerlen, the Netherlands and an honorary research associate at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town.
Juan-Paul Hynek
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Artificial Intelligent Techniques in Disease Inference and Prediction: A Case of Diabetes Mellitus and Tuberculosis
Research Interests: AI-driven disease inference and prediction, Healthcare decision support systems, Language modelling, AI-based control systems, Robotics
Yahlieel Jafta
Main Supervisor: Louise Leenen
Co-Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Topic: Ontology-based Data Access
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Explainable AI, Deep Learning, Knowledge representation and reasoning
Eleanor Kedem
Main Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisors: Francesco Petruccione and Ilya Sinayskiy
Topic: Simulated Annealing Using Quantum Inspired Algorithms
Research Interests: simulated annealing, quantum computing
Ruvarashe Madzime
Supervisor: Louise Leenen
Co-Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Topic: Explainable Data Classification Using Boolean Logic with Defeasible
Reasoning for Adaptive Decision-Making
Research Interests: Explainable AI, Machine Learning Interpretability, Defeasible
Reasoning
Prof Tommie Meyer
Tommie Meyer is the Deputy Director of AIRU, an NRF A-rated scientist, and co-Director of CAIR. He is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town. Tommie’s primary research interests and expertise are in the area of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, a sub-area of Artificial Intelligence focusing on Belief Revision and Non-Monotonic Reasoning, as well as their application to Description Logics.
Prof Deshen Moodley
Deshen Moodley is the Director of AIRU, and a co-Director of CAIR. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town. Deshen’s broad research area can be categorised as designing components and architectures for adaptive and cognitive systems using AI techniques, such as machine learning, agent-based systems, Bayesian networks and more broadly probabilistic graphical models, and ontologies.
Dr Irene Nandutu
Dr. Irene Nandutu is a Senior Lecturer at Busitema University, Uganda, and an Honorary Research Affiliate at the University of Cape Town. Her research focuses on creating sustainable AI solutions for health, social, and environmental challenges in Africa. Her expertise includes: Developing deep learning models to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions. Applying machine learning to study early childhood brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Mazwi Kelvin Nyadzayo
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Dynamic Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Network Framework for Cryptocurrency Trend Regime and Change Point Classification
Research Interests: Dynamic Graph Learning, Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks (ST-GNNs), Multi-agent Systems, Blockchain, Decentralised Finanance (DeFi) applications.
Mbithe Nzomo
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: A Hybrid AI Framework for Personal Health Monitoring Using Heterogeneous and Multimodal Data
Research Interests: health domain, ontologies, knowledge graphs, machine learning, Bayesian networks, AI system architectures
C. Sue Price
Main Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Co-Supervisors: Anban Pillay and Gavin Rens
Topic: An Agent-based Model for Growers’ Pre-harvest Burning Decisions in a KwaZulu-Natal Sugarcane Supply Chain
Research Interests: agent-based modelling, Bayesian networks, dynamic decision networks, decision making under uncertainty
Roelof van Schalkwyk
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Forecasting JSE Stock Price Trends using Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks and Macroeconomic Data
Research Interests: Deep Learning, Economics and Finance Forecasting, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agent Based Simulations
Luke Slater
Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Jesse Heyninck
Topic: Knowledge Compilation for Ranked Models
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Non-Monotonic Reasoning, Knowledge Compilation
Julius Stopforth
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley
Topic: Towards a Robust Evaluation Method for Deep Reinforcement Learning on Continous Control Problems
Research Interests: explainable artificial intelligence, Bayesian networks, machine learning, science communication
Ameel Valjee
Supervisor: Tommie Meyer
Co-Supervisor: Ilya Sinayskiy
Topic: Quantum machine learning for intrusion detection
Research Interests: Quantum Computing, Machine Learning, Intelligent Systems, Swarm Robotics, Cybersecurity, Game Development and Evolutionary Algorithms
Dr Swetha Varadarajan
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley and Katherine Malan
Topic: Meta Learning for Enhancing Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks
Research Interests:Evolutionary Computation & Meta-heuristics, High-Performance & Parallel Computing, Computational Optimization in Cancer Research & Bioinformatics, AI/ML & Network Analysis for Social Good (e.g., Human Trafficking Detection), NP-hard Problems & Combinatorial Optimization
Prof Ivan Varzinczak
Ivan Varzinczak is a Professor of Computer Science at Université Paris 8, France and a honorary professor at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town. He focuses on logic-based specification languages, the formalisation of different types of human reasoning and the design of algorithms for their implementation and verification.
Gleris Wagura
Supervisor: Deshen Moodley and Swetha Varadarajan
Topic: Dataset-Aware AutoML: Towards Adaptive Neural Architecture and Hyperparameter Optimization for Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks
Research Interests: Meta-learning, Hyperparameter Optimisation (HPO), Neural Architecture Search (NAS), Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks (STGNNs).
