Team - Michael Farnsworth

Research Associate, ACSE, University of Sheffield

Dr Farnsworth graduated originally from the biological sciences having pursued a BSc in Biochemistry at Cardiff University before undertaking an MSc in computer science at the University of the West of England (UWE). He continued with his interest in biologically inspired computation, undertaking a PhD at Cranfield University on the evolutionary design optimisation of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). He continued on with this theme as a researcher of a number of projects throughout his time at Cranfield University, ranging from autonomous maintenance and robotics, self-healing systems, manufacturing informatics and process optimisation.

In his current role as a research associate within ACSE he researches and develops digital, electronic and robotic solutions for automation within manufacturing and shop floor environments. He is developing a research theme concerned with digital manufacturing and how the distributed resources of IoT and ‘smart products’ can augment robotic cognition in this field. The core of this research is centred on his interests in biologically inspired computing, whether it be evolutionary computation, machine learning and AI, or robotics and cognitive neuroscience.

University of Sheffield staff profile