About
Lecturer at Flinders University with the College of Science and Engineering.

Research Interests
My research interests centre predominantly around the use of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science techniques applied to games. This includes research that uses such techniques to play, create and analyse games; but also how we can utilise games as a testbed for developing solutions to real-world problems.
I am currently working as a Lecturer at Flinders University, where I specialise in Procedural Content Generation for video games. My current research focus is on developing Experience-Driven PCG algorithms for improving the learning rate and generality of intelligent agents. I am also interested in Data-Driven approaches towards agent development, such as Portfolio and Ensemble agents, as well as Game Analytics and Player Modelling.
I have previously worked for the Digital Ludeme Project in Europe, which aims to improve our understanding of traditional games using modern AI techniques. This project can be summarised as a computational study of different games throughout recorded history, hoping to chart their historical evolution and explore their role in the development of human culture.
My PhD research focussed on implementing various AI techniques for physics-based video games and simulations. This involved developing intelligent agents that can reason and interact within a physical environment, as well as generating content that satisfies the physical limitations of such environments.
Resume
Summary
Matthew Stephenson
Lecturer at Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering, with 7+ years of experience researching and teaching AI.
- Room 5.20, Flinders University Tonsley, Adelaide, Australia
- matthew.stephenson@flinders.edu.au
Research
Postdoctoral Researcher
2019 - 2022
Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Primary data scientist for the Digital Ludeme Project.
- Utilised state-of-the-art data science techniques to profile and compare traditional games throughout history.
- Responsible for managing and integrating multiple large-scale computational and historical datasets.
- Assisted with the research and development of new general AI techniques.
- Secured additional funding through secondary grants.
External Consultant
2020 - 2023
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Grant co-author and consultant for project on Science of Artificial Intelligence and Learning for Open-world Novelty.
Research Scientist
2015 - 2016
Human Interface Technology Laboratory, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Part-time researcher and developer for the company QuiverVision.
Teaching
Lecturer
2023 - Present
Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
- Lecturer for the College of Science and Engineering.
Lecturer
2019 - 2022
Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Coordinator for Introduction to Programming (SCI2011).
- Guest lecturer for Intelligent Search & Games (KEN4123).
- Supervised multiple Master's and Bachelor's student theses.
Tutor
2014 - 2015
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Tutor for the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
2016 - 2019
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Generation and Analysis of Content for Physics-Based Video Games.
First Class Honours Degree; Computer Science
2012 - 2015
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Novel Methods for Reflective Symmetry Detection in Scanned 3D Models.
Projects
Published software can be found on GitHub.
Publications
Publications can also be viewed on Google Scholar or ResearchGate.
Contact
Email:
matthew.stephenson@flinders.edu.au
Address:
Room 5.20
Flinders University Tonsley
College of Science and Engineering
Adelaide
Australia