Dr Michael Milford
Director of the Centre for Robotics, Queensland University of Technology
Michael Milford, FTSE, conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of robotics, neuroscience, and computer vision. He currently holds appointments as Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics, QUT Professor, Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. He has led or co-led projects totalling more than 56 million dollars in research and industry funding, receiving over 17,000 citations, and his work has culminated in numerous accolades, including six best paper awards (and ten finalists), the ATSE Batterham Medal, a joint outright Queensland Young Tall Poppy award, and was made a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow, one of only three Australians ever to receive this recognition. From 2022 – 2027 he is leading a large research team combining bio-inspired and computer science-based approaches to provide a ubiquitous alternative to GPS that does not rely on satellites. His team has worked on commercial autonomous vehicle technology with companies like Ford and Caterpillar, and been funded by and/or collaborated with organizations like Amazon, Intel and Google Deepmind. Michael is also an educational entrepreneur: as founder of Math Thrills, he has produced engaging STEM education materials distributed to over 35 countries for more than 20 years. As a keen mentor, Michael works with individuals and groups, both locally at the individual, institute or university level across Australia, but also globally through his Hacking Academia initiative, and won the 2025 Outstanding Mentor of Researchers Eureka Prize.