who I am

Nick Spadaccini, PhD
Associate Professor
Adjunct Research Fellow

brief potted bio

After obtaining my Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics at UWA, I spent 18 months living in Japan. I completed a six month crash course in Japanese language at the Osaka University for Foreign Studies, and then studied diffraction physics at the Mineralogical Institute, University of Tokyo, in the under my sensei, Professor Takeuchi.

I returned to UWA and completed a PhD on the modelling of chemical bond interactions under Dr E.N. (Ted) Maslen. During that time I developed a strong interest in computational physics and scientific computing. From 1987 I was a postdoctoral research associate in the Crystallography Centre until joining the (then) Department of Computer Science in 1991.

My research interests include information retrieval and data exchange and I am a co-developer of the Self-defining Text Archive and Retrieval (STAR) format. My other research interests include computer modelling, simulation and visualization.

From Dec '02 — Jan '07 I was the Head of the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

what I am doing

In March 2011 I left The University of WA after 24 years of employment and left academia after a lifetime of involvement. I honestly can't remember the last time I wasn't doing something academic — either as a student or as an educator.

I am currently taking a year-long sabbatical, before returning to active employment but for the first time in industry and commercial environments. I think the skill set developed in academic life translate well in to other environments, I will let you know how I go.

teaching

• Computer Science : Theory, Practice and History
• Expert Systems
• Programming Language Implementation
• Software Engineering
• Unix and Windows Programming
• Visualisation
• Foundations of Information Technology
• Robotics
• Computer Networks
• Internet Technologies
• Modelling and Computing Analysis for Engineers
• Java Programming
• Databases
• Discrete Structures

research postdocs

Dr Daniel Wedge, current (Televiewer project)

Dr Ian Castleden, 1997-2000 (STAR project)
Mr Andrew Hall, 1992 (StarBase project)

research students

Zhengqiang Jiang, PhD current

Minh Tran, PhD 2010
Chris Thorne, PhD 2009
Bernard Cena PhD 2000
Bruce Backman PhD 1999

Rowena Cole MSc 1998
Nasrin Yazdani MSc(Cognitive Science) 1996.

contact details

School of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
The University of Western Australia
M002
35 Stirling Highway,
Crawley WA Australia 6009

Email : Nick.Spadaccini@uwa.edu.au