About
I am a developer of artificial intelligence and robotics, using music and creativity as a medium to program better interactions, understandings, and models between humans and machines. I am currently an ARC DECRA Fellow (2026–2028) at the University of Canberra, where I research robots and AI designed for long-term use and group interaction.
Previously, I was a Research Fellow at Macquarie University (2022–2024), where I developed robotic musicians, including interactive systems capable of rapping and drumming alongside human performers. In 2025 I worked at Jen Music, developing high-fidelity and ethically trained AI music systems. Across academia and industry, my research has received more than $3.8 million in funding and includes significant industry partnerships. My work has been featured in Scientific American, BBC Radio, and on Disney+ with Jeff Goldblum.
I completed a PhD in Music Technology, with a minor in Human–Computer Interaction, at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021, where I worked in the Robotic Musicianship Lab with Gil Weinberg. Much of my PhD research was supported by an $800,000 NSF National Robotics Initiative grant, where I developed forms of emotional musical prosody to increase trust in group human–robot collaboration.
Before Georgia Tech, I worked as a freelance music technologist, composer, and performer. I completed a Master’s degree at the University of California, Irvine, in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology. I have composed and orchestrated music for video games, films, and advertisements—including Fast Four featuring Roger Federer—and performed professionally for over 15 years as a saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist.
Publications on Google Scholar
Recent media highlights:
B-side with James Barrow Podcast
Meet the band’s new drummer … Keirzo the robot
Drum roll please … this robot makes original rap in real time in Wodonga
Jodie Bruton, May 2024
Keirzo: The robot that can spit rhymes, keep time, and make you think about AI
Diane Nazaroff, October 2025
Hobart stadium a goer, Lehrmann loses again + Jorja Smith’s AI lawsuit
ABC triple j Hack, December 2025