Rate My Professor Stephen Cranefield

University of Otago

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5.04/23/2026

Always patient, kind, and understanding.

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About Stephen

Stephen Cranefield is a Professor in the Department of Information Science within the School of Computing at the University of Otago. He earned a BSc(Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Otago and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh's Department of Artificial Intelligence, now part of the School of Informatics. After his PhD, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Otago, followed by a short-term position in the Computer Science department at Massey University, before joining the Department of Information Science at the University of Otago in 1994, where he has advanced to his current professorial position.

Cranefield's research specializations encompass multi-agent systems, coordination, organizations, institutions, norms, and ethics for governance of multi-agent systems, as well as artificial intelligence applications. Key publications include Anavankot, A. M., Cranefield, S., & Savarimuthu, B. T. R. (2024). NEMAS: Norm entrepreneurship in multi-agent systems. Systems, 12, 187; Cranefield, S., Srivathsan, S., & Pitt, J. (2024). Inferring Lewisian common knowledge using theory of mind reasoning in a forward-chaining rule engine. Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Autonomous Agents & Multiagent Systems (AAMAS); Amaral, C. J., Hübner, J. F., & Cranefield, S. (2024). Generating and choosing organizations for multi-agent systems. Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Autonomous Agents & Multiagent Systems (AAMAS); Charpenay, V. et al. (2023). Governing agents on the web. Coordination, Organizations, Institutions, Norms, and Ethics for Governance of Multi-Agent Systems XVI; and Sengupta, A., Cranefield, S., & Pitt, J. (2023). Generalising Axelrod's metanorms game through the use of explicit domain-specific norms. Coordination, Organizations, Institutions, Norms, and Ethics for Governance of Multi-Agent Systems XVI. He has received the University of Otago Research Supervisor of the Year: Commerce award in 2012 and was shortlisted in 2021, the Best Senior Programme Committee Member award at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in 2020, Outstanding Program Committee Member recognition at the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence in 2019, and was short-listed for the Best SPC Member award at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems in 2008. Cranefield serves on the editorial boards of Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems and IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, reviews for journals including Artificial Intelligence and IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, is a member of the Mathematical and Information Sciences panel for the Marsden Fund, Royal Society Te Apārangi (2022-2024), the University of Otago representative on the Board of the NZ Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association since 2021, and a Board member for the International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.