My Expertise
Speech signal processing, Speaker recognition (voice biometrics), Cochlear signal processing, Speaker separation, Language identification, Applications of ML and DNNs, Engineering education innovation
Fields of Research (FoR)
Signal processing, Deep learning, Speech recognition, Neural networks, Engineering educationBiography
Professor Eliathamby Ambikairajah
BSc (Eng), PhD, FIET, CEng, FIEAust, CPEng, SMIEEE
Former Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Innovation & Enterprise) (2020-2021)
Former Head of School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (2009 - 2019)
Professor Eliathamby Ambikairajah received his BSc (Eng) (Hons) degree from the University of Sri Lanka and received his PhD degree in Signal Processing from Keele University in the UK. He was appointed...view more
Professor Eliathamby Ambikairajah
BSc (Eng), PhD, FIET, CEng, FIEAust, CPEng, SMIEEE
Former Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Innovation & Enterprise) (2020-2021)
Former Head of School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (2009 - 2019)
Professor Eliathamby Ambikairajah received his BSc (Eng) (Hons) degree from the University of Sri Lanka and received his PhD degree in Signal Processing from Keele University in the UK. He was appointed as Head of Electronic Engineering and later Dean of Engineering at the Athlone Institute of Technology in the Republic of Ireland from 1982 to 1999. His key publications led to his repeated appointment as a short-term Invited Research Fellow with the British Telecom Laboratories in the UK, for ten years from 1989 to 1999.
Professor Ambikairajah joined the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia in 1999 and served as the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Innovation and Enterprise during 2020, after previously serving as the Head of School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications from 2009 to 2019.
His research interests include speaker and language recognition, emotion detection, cochlear modelling and biomedical signal processing. He has authored and co-authored approximately 350 journal and conference papers and is the recipient of many competitive research grants. He was a Faculty Associate with the Institute of Infocomm Research (A*STAR), Singapore from 2010 to 2018, and was an Advisory Board member of the AI Speech Lab at AI Singapore (2019-2021). Professor Ambikairajah was an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Education from 2012 to 2019.
He received the UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004 for his innovative use of educational technology and innovation in electrical engineering teaching programs, and in 2014 he received the UNSW Excellence in Senior Leadership Award. In 2019, he won the UNSW President's People’s Choice Award, which recognises a single staff member who goes above and beyond in all five ‘Values in Action’, at the University. The Award was based on the highest number of votes from across the University.
Professor Ambikairajah was an APSIPA Distinguished Lecturer for the 2013-14 term. He was the Inaugural Chair for the SPS Entrepreneurship Forum at ICASSP'22 and led the creation of the first-ever SPS Entrepreneurship Forum. Professor Ambikairajah is a Fellow and a Chartered Engineer of Engineers Australia (EA) and the IET UK and is a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and a Life Member of APSIPA.
Speech Processing and Auditory Modelling Research Laboratory: http://cochlear-signal-processing-lab.ee.unsw.edu.au/
My Grants
ARC Discovery Project (2021 – 2023), 1st CI
ARC Discovery Project (2019 – 2021), 1st CI
CSIRO/DATA61 collaborative research project (2019 -2022), 1st CI
ARC LIEF Grant (2019-2023)
US Army Collaborative research project (2022-2023), 3rd CI
US Army Collaborative research project (2020-2021), 3rd CI
ARC Linkage Project (2012-2014), 3rd CI
ARC Discovery Project (2011-2013), 2nd CI
ARC Linkage Project (2010-2013), 3rd CI
UNSW Faculty of Engineering Goldstar (2013), 1st CI
NeCTAR Research Award (2013)
ARC Linkage Project (2008-20011), 3rd CI
ARC LIEF grant (2010)
FRG research Grant (2007), 1st CI
ARC Linkage Grant (2006-2008), 1st CI
RIBG Grant (2008), 2nd CI
My Qualifications
- PhD, (Signal Processing), University of Keele, UK, 1982.
- Postgraduate Diploma, (Electronic Engineering) Philips International Institute (PII), Holland, 1978
- BSc (Eng) (Electronics and Telecommunications), University of Sri Lanka, Moratuwa Campus, 1974
My Awards
- UNSW President's People’s Choice Award (2019)
- UNSW Excellence in Senior Leadership Award (2014)
- UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching (2004).
- School Teaching Excellence Award (UNSW) (2003)
- School Academic Management Award (UNSW) (2001)
- IEE Younger Members (UK) Award for the best research paper (1982)
My Research Activities
My expertise lies in speech signal processing, focusing on speaker recognition (voice biometrics), language identification, speech-based emotion recognition, speaker separation, cochlear modelling, AI and machine learning, and engineering education.
Internationally recognised for my contributions to developing auditory models, both passive and active, I have led the integration of machine learning with auditory models to create machines with selective auditory attention capabilities.
I have significant expertise, gained over many years of experience, in signal processing algorithm development as well as building large scale machine learning models and robust speech processing adaptive front-ends.
Currently, I am working on an intelligent auditory model to enhance voice biometrics and cochlear sound processing hardware. My extensive experience in voice biometric systems, cochlear modelling, and deep learning positions me well to contribute to the development of intelligent biometric systems.
Speech Processing and Auditory Modelling Research Laboratory: http://cochlear-signal-processing-lab.ee.unsw.edu.au/
My Research Supervision
Areas of supervision
- Speaker Recognition,
- Voiced based Spoofing Attacks,
- Language Identification,
- Cochlear signal processing
- Intelligent auditory models
- Speaker separation
- Applications ML and DNNs
- Engineering Education Innovation
Currently supervising
- Currently supervising 3 PhD students and 3 Postdocs,
- Have supervised 25 PhD students and 17Masters (by research) to successful completion as principle supervisor
- Have also supervised 9 postdocs over the past 10 years
- Have been a PhD examiner for more than 25 PhD theses
My Teaching
- Digital Signal Processing
- Speech Processing
- Telecommunications
- Circuits and Systems
- Electronics
- Electrical Systems Design
- Electrical Engineering Design Proficiency
- Ethics and Leadership
Location
Level 2, Room 226
Kensington Campus
Publications
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4673-6534