Professor Michael Kirley is a Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Melbourne. He concurrently serves as Co-Director of the Melbourne Centre for Data Science. Kirley obtained his PhD in Computer Science from Charles Sturt University in 2003 and a Bachelor of Education (Mathematics) from Deakin University in 1988. He joined the University of Melbourne's academic staff in 2004, initially affiliated with the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, where he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award in the same year. Throughout his career at the university, Kirley has held significant leadership roles in research centers and editorial boards.

Kirley's research is positioned at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, placing particular emphasis on evolutionary computation. His academic interests encompass the design of data-driven algorithms for optimisation and decision-making, applied to solving complex social-technological problems. He fosters collaborations with industry partners and interdisciplinary academic teams to develop practical, innovative solutions. As Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, Kirley influences the direction of research in computational intelligence. He has supervised 14 PhD students to completion, with theses covering dynamic multi-objective optimisation using evolutionary algorithms (Dan Herring, 2022), algorithm selection for continuous optimisation problems (Yuan Sun, 2018; Mario Andres Munoz Acosta, 2013), evolving Pareto-optimal architectural form (Camilo Cruz Gambardella, 2018), intelligent decision-making in coupled socio-ecological systems (Burkhard von der Osten, 2017), and computational models of cultural dynamics (Jens Pfau, 2013). Currently, he supervises nine PhD candidates across related domains.

Kirley leads prominent funded projects, serving as Lead Chief Investigator for the Digital Processing project in the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development (2022-2027) and Chief Investigator in the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Optimisation Technologies, Integrated Methodologies, and Applications (OPTIMA) (2021-2026). These initiatives highlight his impact on advancing optimisation technologies and data science applications in industry contexts.

Professional Email: mkirley@unimelb.edu.au