QUEEN’S B’DAY HONOURS

Investing More In Science And Tech

DISTINGUISHED PROF Dharmendra Prakash Sharma, AM

For significant service to higher education, and to computer science

Afew minutes into the conversation with Distinguished Prof. Dharmendra Prakash Sharma, and you know you’re going to learn a lot. Not just about the man himself, who’s the recipient of an AM in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honours, but also about AI, computer science and higher education.

His reaction to receiving the AMsurprise, humility and a dash of excitement for the future. “I’m trying to pinch myself to see if this is real,” was the only ordinary thing this extraordinary gentleman uttered.

“I didn’t realise at first this would be such a huge deal,” he said. “I’m more than surprised by this honour. It’s the perfect shot of oxygen for me to keep pushing at what I do, and to contribute to make the world a better place.”

So how does the Chair of the Academic Board at the University of Canberra and a Hind Rattan Award winner, make the world a better place? The answer is simple: (a) with his actual work and (b) with his attitude towards science, education and humanity.

Born in Fiji after his forefathers moved there 140 years ago, Prof Sharma is a fourth generation Fijian-Indian and exceptionally proud of his Indian heritage.

He’s also equally proud of what Australia has done for him. “I draw a lot of energy from the diversity that Australia offers. I come from a very humble background. I moved to Australia for my post-graduation. The country has allowed me to serve in the education sector for 40 years, provide leadership to my team and contribute to the world around me by making international connections to others in the field,” he said.

That field is computer science, and his key research interests include distributed AI and the applications of AI to human centered modelling and problem solving. Put simply, Prof Sharma’s work involves solving complex, real-world problems with data. He’s not bogged down by alarming reports suggesting 40% of jobs will be lost by 2025. Like all visionaries, he’s cautiously optimistic about the future of AI. “There is some merit to this thought. But the undiscovered potential of AI is vast. The rise of AI doesn’t mean all jobs will be wiped out, it just means that new, more creative jobs will come up. We humans have the power to build this narrative the way we want, as long as we understand where technology is taking us. Understanding that will make humanity more empowered; society will be more technologically savvy and we’ll be able to solve some very difficult problems.”

Take climate change, for instance. With climate deniers refusing to accept scientific evidence, Prof. Sharma realises that the pressure is even more on the scientific community to use data science to address concerns from naysayers. “There will always be deniers,” he observed. “We have to convince them with education. For climate change, political support is needed, but political solutions might not be the answers. Science and education are.