教員紹介 En

フランクイアン

教授
FRANK, Ian

学生へのメッセージ

We are what we repeatedly do. Read widely, involve yourself in the world and see the changes, differences, and patterns of connection. Allow yourself to dream. You will find your own “voice”.

研究内容

An interdisciplinary stance, with a foundation in Artificial Intelligence. I was a member of the DReaM Group (Discovery and Reasoning in Mathematics) at Edinburgh University, where my PhD research was on computer game playing and how to automatically explain a computer՚s choices to humans, winning a national Distinguished Dissertation award. Students in my lab work on algorithms for games, machine learning, online worlds, education, and a wide range of applications including audio and video.

Some research questions:

  • How can we create information processing tools that help humans and computers collaborate?
  • How do people think, and how can research in areas such as cognitive science and neuroscience be fed back into the improvement of education and critical thinking skills?
  • In what ways can information processing technology, or human thinking mindsets, be employed to better the lives of people, both in the local community and over the world?

The design notion of “wayfinding” is a guiding framework for my thinking, providing a coherent and integrated perspective. The space between the words “human” and “information processing” is becoming increasingly virtual: how can we understand and navigate this space, through experience?

研究の魅力

I have published in diverse fields, including AI, theoretical computer science, education, cognitive science and social science. I welcome students with various interests as a way of finding new combinations of ideas. My work is characterised by a constant exchange of ideas between research interests and practical endeavors in the real world. As an educational trainer, I leverage research and diverse sources to deliver impactful trainings worldwide. With 15 years of experience as the Festival Director of the “World Music Dance Festival” under the theme of “Long Now”, I prioritise global and long-term thinking and the use of forward-thinking concepts in event management. Additionally, I have followed the trends in low-code and DX tools, applying these skills to create highly-rated online courses, a video-based healthcare training system, and management tools for large-scale events.

The goal of the design concept of “wayfinding” is to make it easy for people to understand where they are, where they need to go, and how to get there efficiently and safely. I look to apply this concept widely across my research and other interests, especially to motivate global, responsible, and ethical thinking.

実績

I was part of the team that was awarded the RoboCup Scientific Challenge award two years in a row, and my PhD thesis chosen as a winner of the UK Distinguished Dissertations Award. I regularly teach thinking skills workshops inspired by readings in cognitive science (see the 関連リンク below).

主な著作・論文