Premier’s Fellow to advance artificial intelligence research in WA

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The Western Australian Government is investing in the technology of the future with Dr Mengbin Ye appointed as a Premier's Early to Mid-Career Fellow.
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A graphic reading Premier's Science Fellowship program

Dr Mengbin (Ben) Ye has been named the latest Premier's Early to Mid-Career Fellow.

The Premier’s Science Fellowship Program aims to attract Premier's Science Fellows (distinguished researchers and leaders of international prominence) and Premier's Early to Mid-Career Fellows (supporting early to mid-career researchers) to Western Australia.

The Premier’s Science Fellowship Program has brought a total of 15 world-class scientists to WA over the past 18 years, including new Premier’s Early to Mid-Career Fellow Dr Ye.

The appointment of Dr Ye will accelerate artificial intelligence research in WA boosted by $1.03 million in funding from the WA Government and Curtin University. 

Dr Ye's research will focus on the mathematical modelling of opinion formation and collective decision-making in complex social networks.

These models will be used to explore how interactions in social networks cause opinions to change over time and how new ideas and behaviours spread.

The appointment of Dr Ye reflects the increasing importance of artificial intelligence research to WA. It is a seeding opportunity to grow a new interdisciplinary area of artificial intelligence research which sits at the intersection of engineering, mathematics and social science.

Dr Ye will carry out his research at Curtin University. He has been attracted to WA from the Netherlands where he moved after completing a PhD at The Australian National University in Canberra.

The Fellowship Program capitalises on our existing knowledge and expands our research into new areas. The program focuses on researching areas of strategic importance to WA exploring the fields of, energy, environment, food, health, mining, space and technology.

The combined WA Government support for research under the Fellowship Program totals $13.5 million with the majority of recipients staying well beyond their 4 year appointment continuing to undertake their research in WA generating real world impacts and advancing research locally.

Find out more on the Premier's Science Fellowship Program.