Prof. Robert Fisher

Professor of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh

About

Prof. Robert Fisher has been an academic in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh since 1984. He became a full Professor in 2003. His research focuses on 3D scene understanding, model-based object recognition, range image analysis, and parallel vision algorithms. He holds a PhD in Computer Vision from the University of Edinburgh (1987), an MS in Computer Science from Stanford University (1978), and a BS in Mathematics (with honors) from the California Institute of Technology (1974).

Research Overview

Prof. Fisher's work centers on advancing computer vision and artificial intelligence. He has led or contributed to several key projects:

• DERMOFIT: A cognitive prosthesis aiding focal skin lesion diagnosis.
• ChiRoPing: Capturing dynamic shapes of bats using high-speed 3D sensors.
• Fish4Knowledge: Extracting knowledge from large datasets of fish.
• TrimBot2020: Developing robotics and computer vision for gardening tasks.
• Advanced Care Research Centre: Improving care for aging adults through video analysis.

Current Team

Prof. Fisher currently supervises the following PhD students and research staff:

• Longfei Chen
• Chris Lochhead
• Zhaole Sun

PhD Graduates

Some of his notable PhD graduates include:

• Emilio Agustin Molina
• Cigdem Beyan
• Edvaldo Bispo
• Toby Breckon
• Michael Cameron-Jones

Publications

For more information, visit his:

• Publication List
• Google Scholar Profile
• University PURE Entry
• ResearchGate Profile
• LinkedIn Profile

Teaching and Administrative Roles

Prof. Fisher's recent administrative roles include:

• Head of Graduate School (2020–21)
• Director of Internationalisation (2021–24)

He is not teaching any courses at the moment.

Popular Datasets

Prof. Fisher has contributed to several widely-used datasets:

• BEHAVE Interacting Person Video Data
• CAVIAR Project Video Sequences
• Edinburgh Overhead Camera Person Tracking Dataset
• EATSENSE Eating Action Dataset

Community Contributions

Prof. Fisher is actively involved in the global computer vision community:

• Chair of the Education Committee (2007–2010) and Industrial Liaison Committee (2016–2020) of the International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR).
• IAPR Treasurer (2020–2024).
• Organizer of workshops on vertebrate and insect behavior analysis (2008–2022).

Thoughts on AI

"Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly, but we must carefully consider its ethical implications."

Read more about his thoughts in:

• AI and Cinema - Does Artificial Insanity Rule?
• Is Your Robot Afraid of Dying (and Why You Should Care)?

Contact Information

External Links

• University of Edinburgh Research Videos
• CVonline: Comprehensive Computer Vision Resource
• Dictionary of Computer Vision and Image Processing