John Thornton's Home Page

John Thornton

BBus, BSc(Hons), PhD(Griffith)

Associate Professor
School of Information and Communication Technology
Griffith University Gold Coast
Location: Engineering G09 1.61 (extn 28730)
email: j.thornton@griffith.edu.au

Research: My research is in the area of artificial intelligence and I am currently developing machine learning algorithms that model the functioning of minicolumns in the neocortex. To further this research I formed the Cognitive Computing Unit in 2011. Our work in the Unit has been particularly inspired by the ideas of Jeff Hawkins, and his emphasis on sequence prediction as the fundamental engine of neocortical function. In this context, I am currently working with my two Honours students, Linda Main and Andrew Srbic on developing more effective algorithms for Hierarchical Temporal Memory systems. My previous research has mainly concentrated on developing local search techniques for constraint satisfaction, satisfiability and temporal reasoning. This work culminated in 2007 when Duc Nghia Pham, Abdul Sattar and I received a distinguished paper award at the International Joint Conference for Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-07) for our work on Building Structure into Local Search for SAT.

Teaching: For semester 1, 2012, I am the overall and Gold Coast convenor of the core first year course: Foundations of Computing Systems (1004ICT) and convenor of the third year elective Machine Learning (3511ICT).

Roles and Responsibilities: I am the Gold Coast convenor of the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) Honours and BIT Advanced degrees and the Gold Coast ICT and IIIS Higher Degree Research convenor. My research work is conducted under the umbrella of the Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems (IIIS) of which I am a full member.

Text Book: In 2007 I published The Foundations of Computing and the Information Technology Age through Pearson Prentice Hall (ISBN 9780733988486). The book acts as a text for the first year Foundations of Computing and Communication (1004ICT) core subject, and develops a new perspective on the development of information technology, placing it within the broader context of the evolution of scientific and technological thinking. After providing an overview of the history of computing (until the end of WWII), the book examines the connections between the development of computer technology and the rationalisation of control that lies behind the phenomenon of modern global civilisation. The text then examines how scientific, technological and computational concepts have come to dominate our understanding of life on earth and develops a broader and more inclusive perspective that once again places the reality of human consciousness at the centre of existence.
For Academic Staff: Order an Instructor's Copy from Pearson Education Australia.
For Students and Members of the Public: Order a Copy Online from the Co-op Bookshop (10% discount for students).
FOR MORE DETAILS SEE INSIDE THE BOOK HERE