A James Cook University PhD candidate will be using a prestigious IBM Fellowship to design novel computer systems that mimic processes within the brain.
Corey Lammie has been awarded the 2020 IBM PhD Fellowship Award to work on biologically inspired computing systems used for artificial intelligence and cognitive computing.
He is planning to complete an internship at an IBM Research Facility over the next two years where he will be mentored by a senior IBM researcher. He will receive living and travel expenses and will be funded to attend conferences.
Mr Lammie said Neuromorphic Engineering is a relatively young field that attempts to build physical realisations of biologically realistic models of neural systems using silicon chips.
“Neuromorphic Engineering is an exciting and flourishing field of research. Using emerging technologies, we are able to design bio-inspired computing systems that are both smarter and faster,” said Mr Lammie.
He said his research specifically concentrates on near-sensor computing using hardware circuits that can be programmed to carry out logical operations and a new type of Resistive Random-Access Memory (RAM).
He said near-sensor computing brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed, away from the cloud, to improve response times and to reduce bandwidth.
JCU’s Dr. Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi, Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Engineering and Mr Lammie’s PhD advisor said Mr Lammie is only 23, but is already the lead author of more than 10 scientific publications, the recipient of many sought after scholarships and prizes, and is an instructor of various Masters level data science subjects.
“He’s also working in a ground-breaking field. There is an ever-growing need for low power and high performance neuromorphic and deep learning systems. I look forward to seeing what he is able to accomplish and the impact he will have in the years to come,” said Dr Rahimi Azghadi.
The IBM PhD Fellowship Awards Program is an intensely competitive worldwide program, which honours exceptional PhD students who want to make their mark in promising and disruptive technologies.
