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Dr Tobias Fischer

ARC DECRA Fellow, Senior Lecturer (US: Associate Professor) and Chief Investigator
Queensland University of Technology
I am a Senior Lecturer (US: Associate Professor) and ARC DECRA Fellow at the Queensland University of Technology. My research focuses on robot localisation and underwater perception, blending neuroscience and robotics to push the boundaries of intelligent systems operating under resource constraints. To date, I have secured over $3M in competitive funding and currently serve as Chief Investigator of the $1.3M Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program and the $700k Queensland Quantum Technologies Talent Building Program, with previous grants from Intel Labs and Amazon. After obtaining my PhD from Imperial College, I have published over 50 papers in prestigious venues including Science Robotics, PAMI, TRO, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, IJCAI, ICRA, and IROS. Recognition for this work includes the UK Best PhD in Robotics Award and several best paper and best poster awards. I serve as an Area Chair / Associate Editor for leading conferences (ICRA/IROS/RSS) and journals (RAL). As co-chair of the IEEE-RAS Women in Engineering Committee, I actively promote gender diversity in STEM. My PhD students have gone on to successful careers as Assistant Professor, Research Scientists, and Research Fellows.
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Featured Videos

ICRA 2025 Keynote – Visual Place Recognition: Navigating Without GPS Using Bio-Inspired Approaches

My ICRA 2025 keynote explores Visual Place Recognition (VPR) - the ability to recognise previously visited locations using only visual data. I demonstrate how energy-efficient neuromorphic approaches using event-based cameras and spiking neural networks can provide robust localisation in GPS-denied environments like underwater. The talk also covers novel deep learning approaches for coral and seagrass segmentation, enabling automated coral re-seeding and ecological monitoring as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

How Robots Navigate Without GPS Using Visual Recognition

A one-minute video for the general public explaining how robots navigate without GPS. My research helps robots navigate using only visual imagery, equipping them to make decisions as effectively as humans in environments where GPS doesn't work - indoors, underground or underwater. Read the full article