Rate My Professor Patrick Olivier

Professor Patrick Olivier is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the Faculty of Information Technology's Department of Human Centred Computing at Monash University. He also serves as Professor of Digital Health in the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Monash University Malaysia, with adjunct professorships at the School of Information Technology, Monash University Malaysia, and Monash University Indonesia. As Director of Action Lab, he leads a multinational initiative spanning Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, focusing on impact-driven research at the intersection of communities, technology, and social innovation. Olivier's academic journey began with a BA in Natural Sciences (Physics) from the University of Cambridge in 1989, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Computing from the University of Bradford in 1990, an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Wales in 1991, and a PhD in Language Engineering from the University of Manchester in 1998. His career progressed from Lecturer positions at Aberystwyth University and the University of York to Senior Lecturer, Reader, and Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at Newcastle University, UK, where he founded Open Lab. He co-founded Lexicle Ltd. in 2001, pioneering 3D synthetic characters for customer service, and Axivity Ltd. in 2013, which produces the AX3 accelerometer used in large-scale studies like UK Biobank.

Olivier's research centers on human-computer interaction, particularly digital health, human-centred design, co-design, implementation science, technology-enhanced learning, collaborative and social computing, and digital civics—a field he coined around 2013 that influenced UK research priorities. He is the most-published author at the ACM CHI conference with 83 papers. Key open-source contributions include Intake24, an online dietary assessment tool adopted by the UK and Australian governments and adapted in 20 countries; the AX3 accelerometer for physical activity and sleep measurement, distributed to thousands of researchers annually; and the Induk platform for scalable health education interventions. His work has garnered multiple ACM CHI best paper awards in 2012, 2014 (two awards), and 2020, plus a 2013 honorable mention. Highly cited publications include 'Large scale population assessment of physical activity using wrist worn accelerometers: the UK biobank study' (2017), 'Accuracy of the Microsoft Kinect sensor for measuring movement in people with Parkinson's disease' (2014), and 'Digits: freehand 3D interactions anywhere using a wrist-worn gloveless sensor' (2012). Olivier's influence extends to long-term partnerships with communities and organizations, emphasizing deployable technologies for public health, social care, and civic engagement.