Funding for computer bugs, birds calls and speech recognition

Thursday 3 August 2017

Three Massey University projects will share a chunk of $3.4 million for research into acoustic bird monitoring, detecting computer vulnerabilities, and new approaches for speech recognition.

Funding for computer bugs, birds calls and speech recognition - image1

Associate Professor Jens Dietrich is just one of the successful applicants.

Last updated: Wednesday 8 June 2022

Three Massey University projects will share just under $600,000 of the $3.4 million for research into bird monitoring, detecting computer vulnerabilities, and new approaches for speech recognition.

The National Science Challenge Science for Technological Innovation SEED fund is a 10-year, multi-million-dollar investment, that aims to grow New Zealand’s future high-tech economy. The 18 projects funded share approximately $3.4m, with individual funding ranging from $81,000 to $100,000 per year, for up to two years.

Successful Massey Research

Associate Professor Ruili Wang of the Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, received funding for his research into novel approaches for impaired-speech recognition. This project seeks to develop adaptive-personalised speech systems capable of recognising individual impaired speech and generating intelligible speech. The systems are based on a unique music retrieval technique and could be used on mobile devices like smart phones, tablets and personal computers.

Associate Professor Jens Dietrich from the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, received funding for his research into closing the gaps in Static Program Analysis. This project will look at new ways of detecting bugs and vulnerabilities in computer software that can be exploited for malicious activities. It will look at static program analysis, where bugs and vulnerabilities are detected by models extracted from code without executing the program.

Professor Steve Marsland of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology has also secured funding for research into distance and direction estimation for Acoustic Bird Monitoring. His research will look at estimating population densities of birds by locating their calls using mathematical and statistical methods.