Aya Hussein

Level B - Research Focused
Research Fellow

I am a research fellow (level B) at the School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australia. My current research focuses on combining human and machine intelligence by studying interaction schemes that allow humans to teach machines and to effectively team up with them in the field. I received my PhD in Computer Science from UNSW- Canberra in 2020. During my PhD, I investigated different aspects that facilitates the realisation of high-performance teams that combine human and machine intelligence. In particular, I focused on both Human Factors and Swarm Robotics, where I studied performance, trust, and transparency in Human-Swarm Teaming. I got my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Engineering from Cairo University in 2011 and 2015. My Master research was about Arabic text diacritisation where I used Natural Language Processing (NLP) to enable the automatic restoration of the diacritics which is an essential pre-processing task for many Arabic NLP applications.

 

PUBLICATIONS
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Preprints
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Hepworth A; Hussein A; Reid D; Abbass H, 2022, Swarm Analytics: Designing Information Markers to Characterise Swarm Systems in Shepherding Contexts, http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.12386v2
2022
Hussein A; Ghignone L; Nguyen T; Salimi N; Nguyen H; Wang M; Abbass HA, 2018, Towards Bi-Directional Communication in Human-Swarm Teaming: A Survey, http://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.1803.03093
2018
Book Chapters
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Hussein A; Abbass HA, 2021, 'Stable Belief Estimation in Shepherd-Assisted Swarm Collective Decision Making', in Shepherding UxVs for Human-Swarm Teaming: An Artificial Intelligence Approach to Unmanned X Vehicles, Springer International Publishing, pp. 165 - 185, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60898-9_8
2021
Conference Papers
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Hussein A; Petraki E; Elsawah S; Abbass H, 2022, 'Autonomous Swarm Shepherding Using Curriculum-Based Reinforcement Learning', in Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, AAMAS, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Virtual Event New Zealand, presented at International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, Virtual Event New Zealand, 09 May 2022 - 13 May 2022, https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/3535850.3535922
2022
Liu J; Hussein A; Anavatti S; Garratt M; Abbass HA, 2021, 'UGV Path Planning based on an Improved Continuous Ant Colony Optimisation Algorithm', in 2021 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, SSCI 2021 - Proceedings, IEEE, presented at 2021 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (SSCI), 05 December 2021 - 07 December 2021, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/SSCI50451.2021.9659847
2021
Mccall F; Hussein A; Petraki E; Elsawah S; Abbass H, 2021, 'Towards a systematic educational framework for human-machine teaming', in TALE 2021 - IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Education, Proceedings, IEEE, pp. 375 - 382, presented at 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology & Education (TALE), 05 December 2021 - 08 December 2021, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TALE52509.2021.9678853
2021
Hussein A; Elsawah S; Abbass HA, 2020, 'Towards Trust-Aware Human-Automation Interaction: An Overview of the Potential of Computational Trust Models', in Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hawaii, USA, presented at Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hawaii, USA, 07 January 2020, http://dx.doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2020.047
2020
Hussein A; ELsawah S; Abbass H, 2020, 'A System Dynamics Model for Human Trust in Automation under Speed and Accuracy Requirements', in Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Annual Meeting, SAGE Publications, Seattle, Washington, USA, presented at 63rd Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Seattle, Washington, USA, 28 October 2020 - 01 November 2019, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631167
2020
Hussein A; Elsawah S; Abbass H, 2020, 'Investigating Gender Differences in Human Interactions with a Transparent Swarm', in Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Annual Meeting, SAGE Publications, SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA, pp. 853 - 857, presented at 63rd Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA, 28 October 2020 - 01 November 2019, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631009
2020
Hussein A; Elsawah S; Abbass HA, 2020, 'Swarm collective wisdom: A fuzzy-based consensus approach for evaluating agents confidence in global states', in IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/FUZZ48607.2020.9177680
2020
Wang M; Hussein A; Rojas RF; Shafi K; Abbass HA, 2019, 'EEG-Based Neural Correlates of Trust in Human-Autonomy Interaction', in Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, SSCI 2018, IEEE, pp. 350 - 357, presented at 2018 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (SSCI), 18 November 2018 - 21 November 2018, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/SSCI.2018.8628649
2019
Hussein A; Abbass H, 2018, 'Mixed Initiative Systems for Human-Swarm Interaction: Opportunities and Challenges', in 2018 2nd Annual Systems Modelling Conference, SMC 2018, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/SYSMC.2018.8509744
2018
Metwally AS; Rashwan MA; Atiya AF, 2016, 'A Multi-Layered Approach for Arabic Text Diacritization', in PROCEEDINGS OF 2016 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLOUD COMPUTING AND BIG DATA ANALYSIS (ICCCBDA 2016), IEEE, PEOPLES R CHINA, Chengdu, pp. 389 - 393, presented at IEEE International Conference on Cloud Computing and Big Data Analysis (ICCCBDA), PEOPLES R CHINA, Chengdu, 05 June 2016 - 07 June 2016, https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000391255500065&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a29b250adbe88d1
2016
Metwally AS; Hosam E; Hassan MM; Rashad SM, 2016, 'WAP: A Novel Automatic Test Generation Technique Based on Moth Flame Optimization', in 2016 IEEE 27TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOFTWARE RELIABILITY ENGINEERING (ISSRE), IEEE, Ottawa, CANADA, pp. 59 - 64, presented at 27th IEEE International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering (ISSRE), Ottawa, CANADA, 23 October 2016 - 27 October 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ISSRE.2016.20
2016
Conference Presentations
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Hussein A, 2019, 'Modelling Human-Trust in Automation Using System Dynamics', presented at System Modelling Conference, 11 September 2019
2019
Journal articles
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Hussein A; Elsawah S; Petraki E; Abbass HA, 2022, 'A machine education approach to swarm decision-making in best-of-n problems', Swarm Intelligence, vol. 16, pp. 59 - 90, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11721-021-00206-5
2022
Hussein A; Ghignone L; Nguyen T; Salimi N; Nguyen H; Wang M; Abbass HA, 2022, 'Characterization of Indicators for Adaptive Human-Swarm Teaming', Frontiers in Robotics and AI, vol. 9, pp. 745958, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.745958
2022
Hepworth AJ; Baxter DP; Hussein A; Yaxley KJ; Debie E; Abbass HA, 2021, 'Human-Swarm-Teaming Transparency and Trust Architecture', IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica, vol. 8, pp. 1281 - 1295, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JAS.2020.1003545
2021
Abbass H; Petraki E; Hussein A; McCall F; Elsawah S, 2021, 'A model of symbiomemesis: Machine education and communication as pillars for human-autonomy symbiosis', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 379, http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0364
2021
Hussein A; Elsawah S; Abbass HA, 2020, 'The reliability and transparency bases of trust in human-swarm interaction: principles and implications', Ergonomics, vol. 63, pp. 1116 - 1132, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2020.1764112
2020
Hussein A; Elsawah S; Abbass HA, 2020, 'Trust Mediating Reliability–Reliance Relationship in Supervisory Control of Human–Swarm Interactions', Human Factors, vol. 62, pp. 1237 - 1248, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018720819879273
2020

MEDIA RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT
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  • I am the lead organizer of the IEEE IJCNN special session on “Learning in swarm and multi-robot systems”, 2023. CFP can be found here: IEEE IJCNN 2023 | Special Sessions
  • I have given a Tutorial session on "Human Teachable Reinforcement Learning" at ICONIP 2022

  • Co-organisation of IEEE IROS workshop on "Cognitive and Social Aspects of Human Multi-Robot Interaction", 2021

  • Development of UGV teleoperation system for the voluntary extra-curricular club activity Exercise Enigma, UNSW Canberra, 2021

  • Manager of the AI lab at UNSW Canberra, 2021 - present

  • Member of the team developing a gesture-based multi-robot control system for the voluntary extra-curricular club activities, UNSW Canberra, 2021

  • Student representative in the Research Leadership Group (RLG) & School Board, School of Engineering and IT, UNSW-Canberra, 2020

  • Volunteer in IEEE SSCI, Canberra, Australia, 2020

  • Volunteer in Canberra Artificial Intelligence Summer School (CAISS2020), Virtual event, 2020

  • Invited presentation at the 3rd IEEE Systems Modelling Conference, Canberra, Australia, 2019

  • Session co-chair in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual meeting, Seattle, USA, 2019

  • Volunteer in IEEE CIS YoWIENet Student Workshop- UNSW-Canberra, Australia, 2018

  • Volunteer in IEEE International Computer Engineering Conference (ICENCO), Cairo, Egypt, 2012-2016

Professional Memberships:

  • IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS)

  • IEEE Woman in Engineering (WIE)

  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)

 

AWARDS
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Scholarships & Awards:

  • DAIRNet Women in AI scholarship to attend the Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research (ADSTAR) summit 2022
  • UNSW Arc Postgraduate Council Research Student Award for my contribution to both research and school life, 2020
  • Registration Grant for IEEE WCCI 2020
  • Winner of the IEEE CIS Webinar Competition on "Emerging Topics and Applications of Computational Intelligence", 2019
  • Student Travel Grant of the HFES Human Performance Modelling Technical Group 2019
  • Scholarship for attending "Research to Impact" program, Canberra Innovation Network 2019
  • Scholarship for attending Data61 & DST Cyber Summer School, Melbourne 2018
  • UNSW Tuition Fees Scholarship 2017-2020

GRANTS
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  • Co-investigator, UNSW Research Infrastructure Scheme - 68,000 AUD granted to the "Heterogeneous Robot Swarms" project, 2023
  • Chief Investigator, UNSW internal fund of 7500 AUD granted to the Distributed Intelligence research group which I lead and have co-founded, 2022
  • Co-investigator, UNSW internal fund of 3000 AUD has been granted to the Deep Learning research group which I have co-founded, 2022
  • Chief Investigator, RG213520 grant from Department of Defence and the Office of National Intelligence in Continual Reinforcement Learning for Autonomous shepherding ($20,000), 2021

AREA OF EXPERTISE
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Human-Swarm Interaction

Curriculum Reinforcement Learning

Multi-agent Systems

Swarm Robotics

Human Factors

 

Organisational units
lensSchool of Engineering & Information Technology