Bernardo Nunes
School of Computing
Bernardo Pereira Nunes
About Me
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Sub Dean (Education Programs) at the College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics at the Australian National University (ANU). My journey in academia is grounded in a passion for advancing computer science education and a dedication to impactful research aimed at transforming society into a better place. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working across diverse educational institutions, fostering learning and innovation within and beyond the classroom.
My teaching approach in computer science centres on making complex, often abstract concepts engaging, accessible, and relevant. I achieve this by integrating project-based learning, student-centered techniques, and active methodologies such as game-based learning.
Two of my well-known teaching innovations are the CS Escape Room, which transforms learning through immersive problem-solving, and Stubents, an educational platform designed to highlight students’ skills.
I am honoured to be the recipient of the ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Award (2023), as well as the Remote Teaching Award (2020) from the College of Engineering, Computing, and Cybernetics, recognising my commitment to creating engaging, high-quality learning experiences and to co-creating knowledge in large classroom settings.
My research spans Web Science, Computer Science Education, and the Semantic Web, where I am particularly driven by understanding how these fields intersect to shape societal impacts. With over 120 publications in top-tier journals and conferences, my work explores data interlinking, educational technology, and the ethical implications of digital engagement. One of my most recognised contributions is the FireMe app, a project that attracted international media attention, including CNN, Fox News, Le Monde, and The New York Times, for its insights into digital behaviour and data privacy.
My dedication to research has been recognised through multiple awards, including the ANU HDR Supervisor of the Month (2023), and honours for student projects I’ve supervised.
Beyond my research and teaching accolades, I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have received various distinctions for my contributions to computer science education and research. I am also a program committee member for numerous renowned conferences and journals, and I have served the academic community in multiple leadership roles, helping to shape the future of our field.
My work not only aims to foster innovation within academia but also to inspire a new generation of learners and researchers who are equipped to tackle the evolving challenges of technology and society.
Resume
Short bio
Bernardo holds a PhD in Informatics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), with a research period at Leibniz Universität Hannover (2014). He also earned a Master’s in Informatics (2009) and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering (2006) from PUC-Rio. Currently, he serves as Sub Dean (Education Programs) and Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University within the College of Engineering, Computing, and Cybernetics. He is a Collaborating Professor for the Postgraduate Program in Informatics at UNIRIO (since 2015) and an adjunct professor on leave from the Department of Informatics at PUC-Rio (2014–2019). Bernardo also sits on the International Advisory Board of the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, is Vice-Chair of Educational Activity for the IEEE Technical Committee on Learning Technology, and is an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies. He has held multiple research roles, including as a researcher at the L3S Research Center in Germany (2012, 2013, and 2017), research fellow at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy (2015), research fellow at the Australian National University (2018), senior lecturer at the Centre for Digital Humanities Research at ANU (2019–2022), and visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania (2024). Bernardo has received numerous national and international research awards and has authored over 120 publications, including conference papers, book chapters, and journal articles. He co-developed the FireMe app, which gained global attention, featuring in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Le Monde, The Washington Post, CNN, and FOX. Additionally, he reviews for prestigious conferences and journals, including IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, British Journal of Educational Technology, International Semantic Web Conference, ACM Hypertext Conference, International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM), IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, and SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education.
Education
2010-2014
PUC-RioLeibniz Universität
PhD in Computer Science
Thesis: Towards a Well-Interlinked Web through Matching and Interlinking Approaches
Supervisors: Prof. Marco Antonio Casanova (PUC-Rio) and Prof. Wolfgang Nejdl (L3S Research Centre, Leibniz Universität Hannover)
Scholarship: Awarded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazil.
Award: The thesis was recognized as the second best in the thesis competition at the Brazilian Symposium on Databases.
2009-2010
PUC-RioSpecialisation in Pedagogical Mediation in Distance Education
Thesis Title: Markup Pen: A tool proposal for Online Learning Environments
Supervisor: Prof. Alexandre Rosado (PUC-Rio)
Scholarship: Awarded by the Distance Learning Central Coordination /Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio, Brazil.
2007-2009
PUC-RioMaster of Science in Computer Science
Thesis Title: Automatic Classification of Semi-Structured Data
Supervisor: Prof. Marco Antonio Casanova (PUC-Rio)
Scholarship: Awarded by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio, Brazil.
2000-2006
PUC-RioB.A. in Engineering (Computer Science)
Thesis Title: Metafinder (Search Tool)
Supervisor: Prof. Marco Antonio Casanova (PUC-Rio) and Antonio Luz Furtado (PUC-Rio)
Scholarship: Awarded by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio, Brazil.
Awards and Honours
2024
ISWCOutstanding PC Member award at ISWC2024
Honourable mention in recognition of outstanding contributions as a reviewer for the 23rd International Semantic Web Conference.
2024
Advance HE, UKSenior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Awarded in recognition of sustained impact in teaching and learning, demonstrating a strategic influence on the academic community. This distinction reflects my commitment to pedagogical excellence, mentorship, and the advancement of teaching practices that enhance student outcomes.
2023
The Australian National University.ANU Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence
This is the most prestigious teaching award at ANU. Awarded in recognition of exceptional teaching practices and innovative assessments that foster deep learning and student engagement. Examples of innovative assessments include the ANU Educational Escape Room and the video platform STUBENTS.
2023
The Australian National UniversityANU's HDR Supervisor of the Month
Awarded in recognition of my empowering approach to PhD supervision. This award highlights a commitment to resilience-building, critical thinking, and collaborative growth, ultimately guiding students to transition from learners to independent researchers.
2022
Below Zero / The Australian National UniversityGolden Medal - Green Impact - Below Zero Initiative
Awarded in recognition of initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint to below zero emissions as a member of the Foundation Team at the School of Computing.
2021
College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University.Remote Teaching and Student Experience Award
Commended in recognition of my "great lectures, commitment to supporting students' learning, and helpful, timely communication with students". This commendation highlights my dedication to creating an engaging and supportive online learning environment.
2021
Brazilian Computer Society2nd Best Brazilian PhD Thesis in Informatics and Education (Co-Supervisor)
In recognition of the second-place achievement of Crystiam Kelle Pereira e Silva's thesis, titled "Complexity of Digital Resources: An Analysis of the Complexity of Digital Resources Through Their Conceptual Networks," in the Doctoral Brazilian Competition in Informatics and Education (CTD-IE), for which I served as co-supervisor.
2020
ACMOutstanding PC Member award at ACM HT2020
Awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions as a reviewer for the ACM Conference on Hypertext and Social Media.
2020
UNIRIO and SBSI2nd Best Master Thesis at the Dept of Applied Informatics at UNIRIO and Honours Mention at the PhD and Master Theses Competition in Information Systems (Co-Supervisor)
In recognition of the second-place award and honourable mention received by Marcelo Tibau's master's thesis, titled "Understanding Web Search Patterns through Exploratory Search as a Knowledge-Intensive Process", in the master’s thesis competition within the Department of Applied Informatics at UNIRIO and at the Brazilian Symposium on Information Systems, respectively.
2018
ANUVisiting Distinguished Scholar Grant
Invited as a Distinguished Scholar by the Centre for Digital Humanities Research at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University, to give a talk on "Search as Learning".
2017
Newton FundTop Early Career Researcher
Selected to participate in the "Researcher Links Workshop: Higher Education for All", sponsored by the Newton Fund, which recognises the top 20 early-career researchers from Brazil and the UK in the field of Computers and Education.
2016
BraSNAMHonourable Mention for Paper
In recognition of the work titled "Comparing and Recommending Conferences" presented at the V Brazilian Workshop on Social Network Analysis and Mining (BraSNAM), part of the Congresso da Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (CSBC).
2015
WEBISTBest Paper Award
In recognition of the work titled "Knowing the Past to Plan for the Future: An In-Depth Analysis of the First 10 Editions of the WEBIST Conference", presented at the 11th International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies (WEBIST).
2015
SBBD2nd Best PhD Thesis Award
In recognition of the second-place award at the XXX Brazilian Symposium on Databases in the Workshop on Theses and Dissertations in Databases for the work titled "Towards a Well-Interlinked Web Through Matching and Interlinking Approaches".
2015
SBBDHonourable Mention - Digital Arts and Educational Applications Award
Two honourable mentions to "MostWanted" – An educational game for learning the C programming language and basic programming fundamentals, and "Treasure Explorers" – a game designed as a diagnostic assessment tool, both presented at the Simpósio de Hipertexto e Tecnologias na Educação (SHTE).
2015
ACM LAK / Solar4th place at LAK Data Challenge
In recognition of the work titled "RecLAK: Analysis and Recommendation of Interlinking Datasets", awarded 4th place in the LAK Data Challenge, organised by ACM LAK, SOLAR, and LinkedUp.
2014
ESWCBest Demo Paper Award
In recognition of the work titled "SCS Connector - Quantifying and Visualising Semantic Paths between Entity Pairs", awarded €300 at the Extended Semantic Web Conference (ESWC 2014).
2013
ACM LAK / Solar2nd place at LAK Data Challenge
In recognition of the work titled "Cite4Me: Semantic Retrieval and Analysis of Scientific Publications", awarded 2nd place in the LAK Data Challenge, organised by ACM LAK, SOLAR, and LinkedUp.
2013
British Library LabsSpecial Mention in the British Library Competition
Special Mention in the British Library Competition for the work titled "Unravelling Secrets of History at the BL", awarded by British Library Labs.
2013
ISWCStudent Travel Award
Student Travel Award for the works titled "Cite4Me: A Semantic Search and Retrieval Web Application for Scientific Publications", "TRT - A Tripleset Recommendation Tool" and "Generating structured Profiles of Linked Data Graphs", awarded €600 at the International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC 2013).
2013
EA-TELStudent Scholarship Award
Selected for the scholarship to attend the Technology-Enhanced Learning Summer School, awarded by the European Association of Technology Enhanced Learning (EA-TEL).
2010
CISCIBest Track Paper Award
In recognition of the work titled "Contenidos Educativos Digitales Multimedia - Métodos y Criterios de Evaluación Recíproca para Objetos de Aprendizaje," awarded in the track "Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicaciones en Educación y Entrenamiento" at the CISCI conference in 2010.
Research & Development Projects
- Stubents: a new formative and active learning assessment strategy for sustainable education
- 2024-2025
- This project enhances learning in large, diverse classrooms by employing active learning methodologies. Using the "Stubents" platform (Chen & Nunes, 2024), students create and review multimodal resources tailored to their learning needs. This approach fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and effective learning environment that promotes a deeper understanding of course content while building soft skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. This project focuses on adapting the "Students" platform for broader course applications, enabling it to function as a portfolio hub for students to showcase their work.
- Bernardo Pereira Nunes (Primary Investigator), Aylin Chen, Clement Chen, Dylan Campbell, Thiago N. da Silva
- Funded by the Australian National University (Strategic Learning and Teaching Grants)
- Stubents: a new formative and active learning assessment strategy for sustainable education
- 2024-2025
- This project enhances learning in large, diverse classrooms by employing active learning methodologies. Using the "Stubents" platform (Chen & Nunes, 2024), students create and review multimodal resources tailored to their learning needs. This approach fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and effective learning environment that promotes a deeper understanding of course content while building soft skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. This project focuses on adapting the "Students" platform for broader course applications, enabling it to function as a portfolio hub for students to showcase their work.
- Bernardo Pereira Nunes (Primary Investigator), Aylin Chen, Clement Chen, Dylan Campbell, Thiago N. da Silva
- Funded by the Australian National University (Strategic Learning and Teaching Grants)
- APR Intern Agreement - ANU & Telstra
- 2024-2025
- This project brings together Telstra and ANU to develop innovative solutions focused on enhancing service quality and customer satisfaction. It was established through an agreement between AMSI, the industry partner, and the ANU, enabling students to apply their academic knowledge within a professional environment under the guidance of their supervisors.
- Bernardo Pereira Nunes (Supervisor), Alyssa Sha (Research Intern)
- Funded by Telstra and Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI)/WiSE Program
- The Escape Room Hub
- 2023-2024
- This project established a university-wide Escape Room Hub at ANU to serve as a central resource for creating and refining escape rooms for interdisciplinary teaching. The Hub focuses on advancing escape room software, developing guidelines and frameworks, creating learning resources, and contributing to global research on gamification in higher education.
- Bernardo Pereira Nunes (Primary Investigator), Guddu Kaur, Thiago N. da Silva, Amy Parry, Bruna Contro
- Funded by the Australian National University (Strategic Learning and Teaching Grants)
- The Educational Data Observatory Network
- 2022-2023
- This project aimed to create "The EducatioNal Data Observatory Network" (TENDON) - a participatory, co-creative and demand-driven network formed by multidisciplinary researchers, educational leaders and other educational stakeholders - to strengthen the relations among south-south countries; establish a research group with a south-south focus to leverage high-quality education; expose students and academic staff to diverse views and focused research on the realities faced by the southern region; bring awareness of common problems at all educational levels via evidence-based approaches; share data, experiences and resources following the FAIR principles; monitor and set educational indicators that meet the needs and diversity of southern countries through live data dashboards; and, support the creation of educational policies to ensure access to quality, inclusive, and equitable education.
- Bernardo Pereira Nunes (Primary Investigator), Sean Siqueira, Rubén Manrique
- Funded by the Australian National Centre for Latin American Studies
Invited Talks, Panels and Interviews
3rd Annual Virtual Institute for Alternative Assessment in Higher Education
Muse: On Ideas
(AI and Cybernetics)
Quality Assurance in Online Learning Webinar Series
Our Digital Future Series
AIIA TV
EduTECH Congress and Expo
Quality in Education in Latin America
EduTECH Congress and Expo
Advanced Learning and Teaching Workshop
Research Talk at PUC-Rio
Technology and Learning Integrity
GLAM Games Workshop
Academic Integrity Awareness Day
Planetário do Rio
Publications
Research Team
Learning never exhausts the mind.
PhD Students
- Can Yang, PhD Candidate
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Aldo Taranto, PhD Candidate
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Juan Camilo, PhD Candidate
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- Dept of Systems and Computing Engineering, Los Andes University
- Co-Supervisor
- Marcelo Tibau
- PhD awarded in 2024
- Quantifying Knowledge Gain in Online Searches: The DKG Metric
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Co-Supervisor
- Ghodai Abdelrahman
- PhD awarded in 2024
- Knowledge Tracing using Deep Learning Methods
- School of Computing, ANU
- Associate Supervisor
- Thiago Baesso Procaci
- PhD awarded in 2019
- Padrões Comportamentais e Feature Learning para Analisar o Prestígio de Usuários em Comunidades Online de Perguntas e Respostas
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Co-Supervisor
- Aylin (Yige) Chen, PhD Candidate
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Alyssa Sha, PhD Candidate
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Xu Xinyuan
- PhD Candidate
- Thesis Title TBD
- Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Research, ANU
- Associate Supervisor
- Renee Eve Dixson
- PhD awarded in 2024
- Assembling Queer Displacement Archive
- Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Research, ANU
- Associate Supervisor
- Crystiam Kelle Pereira e Silva
- PhD awarded in 2021
- Complexity of Digital Resources: An analysis of the complexity of digital resources through their conceptual network
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Co-Supervisor
Master Students
- Nicholas Tonkin
- To be awarded in 2024
- TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Zhenhui Gu
- Master awarded in 2023
- Analysing the Validity of Features Implemented in DKT Models
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Yifeng Liu
- Master awarded in 2022
- Predicting student engagement using sequential model
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Marika Tani
- Master awarded in 2022
- Challenges and Opportunities posed by ChatGPT on Introductory Programming Courses
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Yixin Cheng
- Master awarded in 2021
- Improving Students' Academic Performance through AI and Semantic Technologies
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Sicheng Hao
- Master awarded in 2021
- Using upper body detection methods to identify a person
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Jônatas C. dos Santos
- Master awarded in 2020
- Investigating Personalization in Twitter Search through an Experiment on Polarized Accounts and Opinions on the Brazilian Social Welfare Reform
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Co-Supervisor
- Rosa R. S. Ruidias
- Master awarded in 2023
- Educational Data Observatories in LATAM
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Jiayi Shen
- Master awarded in 2022
- Curriculum Analytics on Academic Records
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Zirui Chen
- Master awarded in 2022
- Improving image captioning generation for Artworks
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Xinran Tian
- Master awarded in 2021
- Online Student Engagement Prediction using LSTM
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Glen Goodwin
- Master awarded in 2021
- Classifying Ancient Roman coins using computer vision: a case study approach to knowledge democracy in Digital Classics
- Centre for Digital Humanities Research, ANU
- Supervisor
- Marcelo Tibau
- Master awarded in 2019
- Understanding Web Search Patterns through Exploratory Seach as a Knowledge-Intensive Process
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Co-Supervisor
- Wenzheng Yang
- Master awarded in 2023
- Dataset Creation for Student Engagement Prediction
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Leiber Baoqian Lyu
- Master awarded in 2022
- Sexist Hate Speech detection between English and Chinese Languages
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Xian Yang
- Master awarded in 2022
- Options Volatility Prediction
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Can Yang
- Master awarded in 2021
- Image captioning for Artworks
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Peng Yong
- Master awarded in 2021
- Extracting Travel Data from Historical Texts
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Jerry F. Medeiros
- Master awarded in 2018
- TagTheWeb: Using Wikipedia Categories to Automatically Categorize Text-Based Resources on the Web
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Supervisor
- Wagner G. do Amaral
- Master awarded in 2017
- Recomendação de Vocabulários para Mapeamentos de Dados Conectados
- Applied Informatics, UNIRIO
- Supervisor
Undergraduate and Honours Students
- Yichi Zhang
- To complete in 2025
- TBD
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Jasmeen Kaur
- Completed in 2022
- Mash on Dash: An open-source data mashup framework to automate and support complex data processing on the Web
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Jiawei Du
- Completed in 2022
- Exploring the impact of gamification on user learning in QA communities
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Dong Han
- Completed in 2021
- Using memes as an engagement tool in the GLAM sector
- Centre for Digital Humanities Research, ANU
- Supervisor
- Pedro Gomes Branco
- Completed in 2019
- CrowdSearch - App de pesquisa colaborativa geolocalizada
- Dept of Informatics, PUC-Rio
- Supervisor
- Xinran Yu
- Completed in 2024
- Exploring How Demographic Factors Influence Large Language Models’ Judgments and Lead to Information Disparities
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Boyu Ding
- Completed in 2023
- The Further Study and Development for The Rating Bias Approach In GLAM Search Engine
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Can Yang
- Completed in 2021
- How biased are social media searches? A study on search personalization algorithms and the role they play in social media bias
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Wenzheng Yang
- Completed in 2021
- Hate Speech Detection
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Willian Simões Pinto
- Completed in 2019
- Estourando a Bolha: uma solução baseada em mashup de dados para diversificar e potencializar o entendimento de tópicos na Web
- Dept of Informatics, PUC-Rio
- Supervisor
- Srikanth Polisetty
- Completed in 2022
- Stock trading using twitter sentiment analysis
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Yutong Sun
- Completed in 2022
- Dynamic Knowledge Tracing: The Benchmark and Model
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Xinran Tian
- Completed in 2021
- An approach to rate bias in GLAM Search Engines
- School of Computing, ANU
- Supervisor
- Aylin (Yige) Chen
- Completed in 2021
- How can online reviews influence consumer's purchase intention on online food delivery platforms?
- Centre for Digital Humanities Research, ANU
- Supervisor
