Professor Mary-Anne Williams
Professor Mary-Anne Williams FTSE Michael J Crouch Chair for Innovation
As Michael J Crouch Chair in Innovation at UNSW, I led innovation initiatives for five years, founding the UNSW Business AI Lab, co-designing the UNSW AI Institute, and serving as Deputy Director. Previously, I established the UTS Magic Lab, advancing AI and human-agent interaction research. Over three decades, my work has focused on responsible AI innovation and translating research into real-world impact across industries. A Fellow of AAAI, I have received major awards from IBM, Google, and the Australasian AI community. I’ve designed transformational education programs, led executive training, advised startups and governments, and actively support entrepreneurship and angel investing.

Fellow status Elected 2015 Division NSW Forum(s) Digital Futures
Fellowship Affiliations The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Classification Academia Sector Expertise 131 - Information technology

Biography at time of election

Professor Williams is an international authority in artificial intelligence (AI) and human-robot interaction. Her research has changed design paradigms in intelligent systems and significantly advanced decision-making under risk and uncertainty in open, complex and dynamic environments. The results of her work have been adopted by industry, including IBM, Infosys, Boeing and Visual Risk, and leading international research groups at CNRS France, Stanford University and Carnegie-Mellon University. Her high standing both in academia and industry is acknowledged through numerous awards, invitations, and distinguished appointments.