Overview
Background
Dr Chelsea Dobbins is an Associate Professor within the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at The University of Queensland. She has a background in Software Engineering with expertise in Digital Signal Processing, Applied Machine Learning, and Human–Computer Interaction.
Her research focuses on the use of sensing technologies and intelligent data analysis to understand behaviour, emotion, and wellbeing, with applications spanning both human and animal contexts. In addition to her work on emotion detection using smartphones and wearable sensors within personal informatics and digital health, her research increasingly explores the use of computational technologies for animal conservation and welfare, including the application of machine learning, and mobile/embedded sensing to monitor behaviour and environmental interactions in animals.
Her work intersects areas such as affective computing, pervasive computing, digital health, conservation technology, bio‑inspired sensing, human–computer interaction, mobile and wearable sensors, and physiological computing.
Availability
- Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), Liverpool John Moores University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Liverpool John Moores University
Research interests
-
Lifelogging and Affective Computing
My research interest lies at the intersection of lifelogging and affective computing, focusing on the use of mobile and wearable sensing technologies to capture continuous, real‑world data about behaviour, context, and experience. I investigate how multimodal lifelog data—such as physiological, behavioural, and contextual signals—can be analysed using signal processing and machine learning techniques to automatically detect and model emotion in naturalistic settings. This work aims to support a deeper understanding of affect, wellbeing, and long‑term patterns of experience within everyday life.
-
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
My research interest in Human–Computer Interaction focuses on the design and evaluation of interactive systems that leverage mobile, wearable, and sensing technologies to support human understanding, reflection, and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in how users engage with data‑driven systems in everyday contexts, and how human‑centred design principles can be applied to make complex sensor‑based and intelligent technologies interpretable, usable, and meaningful.
-
Technology for Wildlife Monitoring and Conservation
My research interest focuses on the use of computational and sensing technologies to support animal conservation and wildlife monitoring. I investigate how signal processing, machine learning, and mobile or embedded sensing systems can be applied to collect and analyse data on animal behaviour and environmental context in natural settings. This work emphasises non‑invasive, ethically informed, data‑driven approaches to understanding movement, behaviour, and wellbeing, with the aim of informing conservation and wildlife management practices.
-
Digital Health
My research interest in digital health focuses on the design and application of mobile, wearable, and pervasive technologies to support the monitoring, understanding, and improvement of health and wellbeing in real‑world settings. I investigate how multimodal sensor data can be analysed using signal processing and machine learning techniques to model behavioural and physiological patterns, with the aim of enabling early detection, personalised insights, and human‑centred digital health interventions.
Research impacts
Featured in Magazines
New Scientist ("Lifelogging: Even your home appliances could do it," Issue 2951) and Times Higher Education (issue 2137).
Media Coverage of Research Outputs
Case study featured on Shimmer's website.
Works
Search Professor Chelsea Dobbins’s works on UQ eSpace
2015
Conference Publication
Knowledge extraction using probabilistic reasoning: An artificial neural network approach
Dobbins, Chelsea and Fergus, Paul (2015). Knowledge extraction using probabilistic reasoning: An artificial neural network approach. 2015 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, Killarney, Ireland, 12-17 July 2015. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ijcnn.2015.7280526
2015
Conference Publication
Digital Memories Based Mobile User Authentication for IoT
Shone, Nathan, Dobbins, Chelsea, Hurst, William and Shi, Qi (2015). Digital Memories Based Mobile User Authentication for IoT. IEEE International Conference on Computer and Information, Liverpool United Kingdom, 26-28 October 2015. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/CIT/IUCC/DASC/PICOM.2015.270
2015
Journal Article
Guest Editorial Special Issue on: Big Data Analytics in Intelligent Systems
Hurst, William and Dobbins, Chelsea (2015). Guest Editorial Special Issue on: Big Data Analytics in Intelligent Systems. Journal of Computer Sciences and Applications, 3 3A, 1-9. doi: 10.12691/jcsa-3-3A-1
2015
Conference Publication
Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Preterm Uterine Activity in Gynecology and Obstetric Care
Idowu, Ibrahim Olatunji, Fergus, Paul, Hussain, Abir, Dobbins, Chelsea, Khalaf, Mohammed, Eslava, Raul V. Casana and Keight, Robert (2015). Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Preterm Uterine Activity in Gynecology and Obstetric Care. 2015 IEEE International Conference on Computer and Information Technology, Liverpool United Kingdom, 26-28 Oct. 2015. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/cit/iucc/dasc/picom.2015.31
2014
Conference Publication
Creating human digital memories with the aid of pervasive mobile devices
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2014). Creating human digital memories with the aid of pervasive mobile devices. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.pmcj.2013.10.009
2014
Conference Publication
Evaluation of Advanced Artificial Neural Network Classification and Feature Extraction Techniques for Detecting Preterm Births Using EHG Records
Fergus, Paul, Idowu, Ibrahim Olatunji, Hussain, Abir Jaffar, Dobbins, Chelsea and Al-Askar, Haya (2014). Evaluation of Advanced Artificial Neural Network Classification and Feature Extraction Techniques for Detecting Preterm Births Using EHG Records. International Conference on Intelligent Computing, Taiyuan, China, 3-6 August 2014. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-09330-7_37
2014
Book Chapter
Capturing human digital memories for assisting memory recall
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2014). Capturing human digital memories for assisting memory recall. Advances in physiological computing. (pp. 211-234) London: Springer-Verlag London. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4471-6392-3_10
2014
Conference Publication
A user-centred approach to reducing sedentary behaviour
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2014). A user-centred approach to reducing sedentary behaviour. 2014 IEEE 11th Consumer Communications and Networking Conference , Las Vegas, Nevada United States, 10-13 January 2014. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ccnc.2014.6866645
2014
Conference Publication
The Big Data Obstacle of Lifelogging
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2014). The Big Data Obstacle of Lifelogging. 28th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops (IEEE WAINA), Victoria Canada, May 13-16, 2014. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/WAINA.2014.142
2014
Conference Publication
Advance artificial neural network classification techniques using EHG for detecting preterm births
Idowu, Ibrahim Olatunji, Fergus, Paul, Hussain, Abir, Dobbins, Chelsea and Al-Askar, Haya (2014). Advance artificial neural network classification techniques using EHG for detecting preterm births. 8th International Conference on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 2-4 July 2014. New York, NY United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/CISIS.2014.14
2013
Journal Article
Prediction of Preterm Deliveries from EHG Signals Using Machine Learning
Fergus, Paul, Cheung, Pauline, Hussain, Abir, Al-Jumeily, Dhiya, Dobbins, Chelsea and Iram, Shamaila (2013). Prediction of Preterm Deliveries from EHG Signals Using Machine Learning. PL o S One, 8 (10) e77154, e77154. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077154
2013
Journal Article
Exploiting linked data to create rich human digital memories
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul, Llewellyn-Jones, David and Bouhafs, Faycal (2013). Exploiting linked data to create rich human digital memories. Computer Communications, 36 (15-16), 1639-1656. doi: 10.1016/j.comcom.2013.06.008
2013
Journal Article
Monitoring and Reducing Sedentary Behavior in the Elderly with the Aid of Human Digital Memories
Dobbins, Chelsea, Fergus, Paul, Stratton, Gareth, Rosenberg, Michael and Merabti, Madjid (2013). Monitoring and Reducing Sedentary Behavior in the Elderly with the Aid of Human Digital Memories. Telemedicine and E-Health, 19 (3), 173-185. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2012.0129
2013
Conference Publication
A Machine Learning Algorithm for Searching Vectorised RDF Data
Hadi, Asaad Sabah, Fergus, Paul, Dobbins, Chelsea and Al-Bakry, Abbas Muhsin (2013). A Machine Learning Algorithm for Searching Vectorised RDF Data. IEEE 27th International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops (WAINA), Barcelona Spain, 25-28 March 2013. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/WAINA.2013.204
2013
Conference Publication
Creating human digital memories for a richer recall of life experiences
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2013). Creating human digital memories for a richer recall of life experiences. 2013 10th IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing and Control, Evry, France, 10-12 April 2013. Piscatawa, NJ United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icnsc.2013.6548745
2012
Conference Publication
Monitoring and measuring sedentary behaviour with the aid of human digital memories
Dobbins, Chelsea, Fergus, Paul, Merabti, Madjid and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2012). Monitoring and measuring sedentary behaviour with the aid of human digital memories. 9th IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC'12), Las Vegas, NV USA, 14-17 January, 2012. Piscataway, NJ USA: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ccnc.2012.6181016
2012
Conference Publication
Remotely monitoring and preventing the development of pressure ulcers with the aid of human digital memories
Dobbins, Chelsea, Fergus, Paul, Merabti, Madjid and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2012). Remotely monitoring and preventing the development of pressure ulcers with the aid of human digital memories. 2012 IEEE International Conference on Communications, Ottawa, Canada, 10-15 June 2012. Piscataway, NJ United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/icc.2012.6364905
2012
Conference Publication
Capturing and sharing human digital memories with the aid of ubiquitous Peer-to-Peer mobile services
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2012). Capturing and sharing human digital memories with the aid of ubiquitous Peer-to-Peer mobile services. 2012 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops, Lugano, Switzerland, 19-23 March 2012. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/percomw.2012.6197595
2012
Conference Publication
Augmenting human digital memories with physiological data
Dobbins, Chelsea, Merabti, Madjid, Fergus, Paul and Llewellyn-Jones, David (2012). Augmenting human digital memories with physiological data. 2012 IEEE 3rd International Conference on Networked Embedded Systems for Every Application, Liverpool United Kingdom, 13-14 December 2012. Piscataway, NJ United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/nesea.2012.6474032
2012
Journal Article
Monitoring and measuring physical activity and sedentary behaviour
Fergus, Paul, Attwood, Andrew, Dobbins, Chelsea, Stratton, Gareth, Hussain, Abir, Al-Jumeily, Dhiya and Randles, Martin (2012). Monitoring and measuring physical activity and sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 13 (5-6), 283-303. doi: 10.1504/IJHTM.2012.052548
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Detection of negative emotions using wearable sensors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Catherine Haslam
-
Doctor Philosophy
Volume and Flow assessment of fluids through micro-vibration characterisation: application towards Cardiovascular Health
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Antonio Padilha Lanari Bo
-
Doctor Philosophy
Improved Safety and Optimize Productivity with AI in a Manufacturing Environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Mehmet Kizil
-
Doctor Philosophy
A mobile health intervention for promoting light and moderate intensity physical activity among young cancer survivors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller
-
Doctor Philosophy
Augmented Human Operations: Using XR and AI in Remote Challenging Environments
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jarrod Knibbe, Associate Professor Maxime Cordeil
Completed supervision
-
2026
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Cognitively Adaptive Training Systems in Virtual Reality
Principal Advisor
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Integrating Wearable Devices into the Patient-Centred Digital Healthcare Environment
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Juha Toyras
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a Wearable Sensor-based Ergonomic Monitoring System for Aviation Manufacturing Workers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Matthew D'Souza
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: