Dr. Thirunavukarasu Balasubramaniam (Thiru)
I am a data scientist researcher and teacher with 10 years of international experience. My academic journey has taken me through esteemed institutions including the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kyungpook National University (KNU), and the Singapore University of Technology and Design – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SUTD-MIT) International Design Centre. I am currently a Research Fellow at the School of Computer Science, QUT, Australia.
My work focuses on the intersection of theoretical machine learning and its transdisciplinary applications, with a passion for real-world problem-solving using data-driven insights. My research has been published in top-tier journals and conferences, including IEEE TKDE, ACM TKDD, SNAM, WISE, WWW, AusDM, and PRICAI. I am committed to advancing the field of data science and applying innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Education
Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security and Networking
Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
2021
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Data Science
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
2016 – 2020
Thesis: Matrix/Tensor Factorization with Selective Coordinate Descent - Algorithms and Output Usage
B.E. Computer Science and Engineering, First Class
SNS College of Technology, Anna University, Chennai, India
2011 – 2015
Experience
Research Fellow in Data Science
QUT Centre for Data Science, School of Computer Science, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
August 2020 – Present
Sessional Academic – Tutoring
Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
2016 – Present
- IFN580 - Machine Learning (Feedback score - 100% student satisfaction)
- IFN645 - Data Mining Technology and Applications (Feedback score – 4.7/5)
- CAB330 - Data and Web Analytics (Feedback score – 4.6/5)
- IFN509 - Data Manipulation and Mining
- CAB230 - Web Computing (2017)
Research Associate
Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
April 2020 – August 2020
Project: DNRME – Data extraction from reports (Focused on automating data extraction from historical mining reports using machine learning.)
Research Assistant
Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
2019 – 2020
Project: Email Data Extraction and Analysis (Developed a tool to analyze the evolution of "Design Thinking" concepts from email collections.)
Research Assistant
Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
2018 – 2019
Project: Rural Industries RDC- Data Discovery for Horizon Scan (Developed a patent information extraction tool and applied data mining to identify trends relevant to Australian rural industries.)
Research Assistant
Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
2017 – 2018
Project: CRDC - Data Discovery for Sustainability Reporting (Developed a data mining methodology for extracting and integrating Big Data from various sources for sustainability reporting.)
Research Assistant
Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Singapore
2015 – 2016
Projects: Smart grid data analytics, solar energy management, Understanding the environment for elderly citizens.
Research Intern
Connected Computing and Media Processing (CCMP) Lab, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
2014 – 2015
Project: Ubiquitous healthcare architecture in the big data environment.
Awards and Scholarships
- 2023: QUT Faculty of Science - Computational Bioimaging Research Group ($50,000)
- 2021: Identified as a distinguished talent by the Australian government and granted permanent residency
- 2021: QUT Centre for Data Science – First Byte Funding (Round 2) ($40,000)
- 2021: QUT Centre for Data Science – First Byte Funding (Round 1) ($30,000)
- 2020: Nominated for Outstanding PhD Thesis Award
- 2020: QUT SEF HDR High Achiever Award (July 2020)
- 2016: Queensland University of Technology Postgraduate Research Award
- 2016: QUT Higher Degree Research Tuition Fee Sponsorship
- 2015: Remarkable Student Achievement Award at the SNS College of Technology.
Professional Activities
- Journal Reviewer: ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data, Elsevier Knowledge-Based Systems, Frontiers of Information Technology and Electronic Engineering Journal, MDPI Sustainability Journal, Vehicular Communications Journal.
- TPC Member of Conferences: IEEE ICSNS 2018, Mobiquitous 2019, IEEE RIVF 2020, IEEE ICOT 2020, AusDM 2020-2024.
- Research Track Chair: AusDM2024
- Guest Editor: Neural Computing and Applications (AusDM24 topical collection)
- Membership:IEEE Member
My Research Interests Hierarchy
- Advanced Machine Learning
- Data Science
- Data Mining
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Transfer Learning
- Deep Learning
- Multi-view Learning
- Matrix/Tensor Factorization
- Timeseries forecasting
- Physics-informed neural network
- Generative AI
- Pattern Mining
- Clustering
- Topic Modelling
- Applications & Impact
- Personalized Systems
- Recommender Systems
- Personalization
- Urban & Societal Impact
- Smart Cities
- Industrial & Domain Applications
- Agriculture
- Manufacturing
- Personalized Systems
Publications
Below is a dynamic list of my publications, powered by BibBase. For a comprehensive overview of my research and citation metrics, please visit my Google Scholar profile.
Mentorship
In addition to my academic endeavors, I lead a mentorship venture, TADucation. Through TADucation, I provide dedicated mentoring and guidance for students aspiring to pursue higher studies abroad, helping them navigate the complexities of international education.