BGS Old Boy Professor Michael Milford '98 is at the forefront of developments in artificial intelligence, conducting interdisciplinary research at the boundary between robotics and neuroscience. A multi-award winning educational entrepreneur with a Mechanical and Space Engineering degree and a PhD in Robotics from The University of Queensland, Prof Milford currently leads a team at QUT researching the nature of intelligence.
"Robotics and artificial intelligence are likely to be some of the greatest transformative influences on humanity over the coming decades and it's really exciting to be working at their core," he said.
His work has led him to collaborate with organisations such as Harvard University, Oxford University, MIT, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and to deliver presentations to Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Prof Milford said BGS was the birthplace of his passion for robotics, artificial intelligence and education, recalling being "hacked" by his more computer-savvy friends, which motivated him to learn to code.
Soon after graduating, he wrote an informal Maths textbook called Not a C Minus, which became a best seller, leading to a series of textbooks covering Maths, Physics and English. In 2015 he launched Math Thrills, which embeds mathematical concepts in young adult fiction, and more recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to publish the "STEM Storybook", a collection of 12 illustrated early childhood stories. Prof Milford has maintained his connection with BGS, with his son enrolled to attend the School and his daughter enrolled to attend Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
Source: Grammar News Winter 2018. Read the original edition