Francisco Bernardo

My primary research interest is in the design of human-centred computational toolkits to empower creativity and user innovation. I apply different research approaches with communities of creative practice to develop useful and usable toolkits that aim to democratise cutting-edge research or advanced computational techniques. My work spans software engineering, toolkit design, Human-Computer Interaction, computational interaction, sound and music computing, programming principles, psychology of programming, and applied machine learning.

Currently, as a research fellow in the Multi-Sensory Devices group, I work in the generative design and optimisation of acoustic metamaterials. I am developing synthetic datasets and new computational pipelines for data-driven and generative design, using machine learning models and ultrasonic wave scattering simulation. Previously, as a research fellow at University of Sussex, I co-created Sema, a web-based coding playground for live code language design and performance, which integrates real-time interactive machine learning and signal processing, and a compiler for domain-specific language design.

I hold a PhD in Computer Science from Goldsmiths, University of London. In my doctoral research, I conducted action design research with leading European research centres, start-ups, and open-source communities in music technology, to better understand the usability of and developer experience with machine learning tools, and support the needs of creative software developers. This work informed the iterative design, development and evaluation of a toolkit for user innovation with interactive machine learning, the RAPID-MIX API.

I have trained for and obtained the recognition of Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am experienced in the main teaching formats, both online and offline, having led modules, tutorials, seminars, workshops, short intensive courses and invited lectures in leading higher-education institutions both in the UK and continental Europe (City, University of London; University of Sussex; Ravensbourne University London; University of Arts London; Royal College of Arts; Universidade Católica Portuguesa; Technische Universität Berlin).

For more information, check my personal website: fbernardo.com