To position UJ as one of the leading Universities
in the fourth industrial revolution. IIS provides
a platform for scholars and practitioners, both
internal and external to UJ, to contribute to
the rigorous production and dissemination
of knowledge in areas aligned to the fourth
industrial revolution.
One of the strategic thrusts of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is to lead Africa into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) was established in 2016 within the University to act as a catalyst towards the UJ Strategy for Global Excellence and Stature (GES). IIS is one of UJ's flagship institutes for Global Excellence and Stature (GES 4.0).
The Institute deals with the development of multidisciplinary taught and online programs for postgraduate qualification and continuing professional development, for capacity building in the areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science, Internet of Things (IoT), to name but a few areas.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key cross-cutting technological feature of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, that has begun to penetrate all sectors of society. AI is strongly associated with the context of its application, and everything from the financial services to healthcare now implore AI application, research and development. There is an overwhelming need for Artificial Intelligence skills across South Africa and the globe, with a high demand for specialized research and development, and applied skills in AI.
In keeping with the University of Johannesburg’s focus on leading the way in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, UJ’s flagship institute, IIS, is offering a multidisciplinary professional masters programme in AI. The Master of AI programme is the first of its kind in the country and takes a sharp, deep, quantitative, qualitative, conceptual, empirical, creative and analytically creative approach that will give students a good handle on this complex and dynamic field.
Honours or NQF level 8 qualification in Engineering, Commerce or Economics, or Mathematical Sciences, Natural Sciences or Computer Science.
Bachelor of Technology in aforementioned disciplines/fields, with at least one year of relevant work experience or research experience.
Students are selected on the basis of academic merit and an approved field(s) of study. Students must have completed a minimum of NQF level 5 Mathematics during undergraduate studies.
This programme is offered through full-time (1-year) or part-time (2 years) study. Master of Artificial Intelligence is a professional masters qualification that combines eight taught modules and an independent research project:
The university will soon be accepting applications for this programme via the online application system. Should you be interested in applying for the programme, please visit https://www.uj.ac.za/admission-aid/postgraduate/ and apply for the Master of Artificial Intelligence with Programme Code: M6AI2Q. Then email certified copies of your supporting documents to ujappdocs@listrv.uj.ac.za with your reference number as the subject line.
Please note that there are a limited number of seats available for the 2022 programme intake. Candidates will be selected on the basis of eligibility and
academic merit.
For further information and queries relating to this programme, you may contact:
Dr Uche Okonkwo
ucheo@uj.ac.za
Working together, over scientific disciplines to solve real-world problems through the implementation of 4IR.
Wireless Communication, Wireless Sensor Network, Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Spatial-Temporal Data Analyses
Zimbabwe Working-class Politics
Philosophy of technology, Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Digital communications (synchronization, modulation and channel coding); power-line communications; visible light communications; information theory
Information theory, Error correction coding, Line coding, Digital communications, Power-line communications
Molecular Communication, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Complex Systems, Signal processing and Wireless Communication
Extended Reality, Application of 4IR in Health, Microbial diversity, Genetics
Data Science, Data Privacy, Quantum Information Science, Cybersecurity, Electronics
Our latest team-member
SPOT Robot joins the Research Team at the Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS), University of Johannesburg
The fourth industrial revolution (4IR), a revolution that is fuelled by a suite of advanced and disruptive technologies, promises the development and deployment of new applications and services that will significantly change how people live, interact, and work. In this regard, the Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) a flagship institute of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has positioned itself to drive the 4IR initiative in the university and the continent of Africa at large. Among the enabling technologies of the 4IR are robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Everything (IoE), advanced communication technology (5G, 6G, and beyond 6G), nanotechnology, big data, extended reality, 3D printing, and blockchain. These technologies form the basis of research and industrial solutions provided by the IIS.
In pushing the boundary of knowledge around and beyond the 4IR niche, and as a part of its research and development drive towards the 4IR readiness, the IIS has acquired a sophisticated agile mobile robot, the SPOT. The SPOT robot manufactured by Boston Dynamics® is a robot dog that can navigate terrains with unprecedented mobility under a considerably heavy load. Researchers at the IIS intend to put SPOT in use to aid in the development and testing of sophisticated AI algorithms and 4IR-driven solutions for various application areas such as healthcare, disaster management, construction, mining, and industrial inspection/ maintenance. For instance, 4IR-driven solutions for contactless vital signs measurement and symptoms evaluation in pandemic scenarios that minimize the exposure of medical personnel to infection can be independently developed and mounted on the SPOT platform and tested. In other applications, such as disaster management and mining operations where the direct human involvement will be very dangerous and undesirable, 4IR solutions can be integrated into the SPOT system as added functionalities to perform the desired tasks. The ability to extend the functionality of SPOT to achieve customized tasks other than the proprietary ones is due to its unique flexibility and the possibility of utilizing pre-built solutions from an existing network of third-party software and hardware providers to create custom controls, program autonomous missions, and integrate sensor inputs into data analysis tools.
Various problems face the world. However, we believe that through the application of technological solutions we can create a better world, sooner.
At IIS, we offer various short learning programmes to take your skillset to the next level. No matter where you are, our online courses will ensure that you are always knowledgeable about the latest happenings in 4IR technologies.
Upon completion of this short learning program,
participants will gain knowledge, exposure and experience
in data-driven innovation which can be used to turn data
into insights, value and innovation.
Duration: 9 weeks
Commenced: June 2020
This SLP is based on the current and growing demand for training in engineering manufacturing design and production in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The skills in demand include Engineering and manufacturing systems, integration and modelling. The key objective is to develop skills in 4IR. Duration: 1 Year Commenced: November 2020
The key focus of this SLP is to train graduates in engineering and business systems. The students will be able to engage with the integrated Engineering business sytems using an advanced 4IR toolset. Students will also be able to develop a technical design specifically for engineering application and development. Duration: 1 year Commenced: November 2020
The SLP is structured to provide a foundation for students to develop and grow Full Stack web development skills in the context of 4IR which may be used in entrepreneurial, consulting or commercial manufacturing ventures. Duration: 1 year Commenced: November 2020
Computational Intelligence (machine learning) tools are the engines behind business analytics and predictive analytics. This programme will provide the necessary bridging or grounding for the research based Masters in Computational Intelligence or fourth industrial revolution related domain. As an inter-disciplinary course, these topics covered have a technical as well as a business focus. Duration: 12 days Commenced: June 2019
A range of topics are covered in this course within the realm of the 4th Industrial revolution - History of Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Accounting, Al, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Blockchain and Ethics. As an inter-disciplinary course, these topics covered have a technical as well as a business focus. Duration: 8 weeks Commenced: June 2019
The SLP is structured to provide a foundation for students to develop and grow Full Stack web development skills in the context of 4IR which may be used in entrepreneurial, consulting or commercial manufacturing ventures. Duration: 1 year Commenced: November 2020
Always busy ensuring that modern technological approaches are implemented in a sustainable manner - below is a collection of the latest news.
The Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Mpho Raborife as Associate Professor and the new Deputy Director. She will be joining the Institute in March 2022. Prof Raborife holds a PhD in Computer Science and her main areas of research are computational linguistics. […]
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) recently signed a strategic agreement with Fondation pour l’institut de hautes études internationales et du développement acting through The International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) who are based in Geneva, Switzerland. Both UJ and I-DAIR have a common interest in contributing to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal #3 on […]
The University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) has acquired a sophisticated agile mobile robot (SPOT), in what is a first for academia in South Africa and on the African continent. The robot, which is manufactured by Boston Dynamics® in the United States of America, is a ‘dog’ that can navigate terrains with unprecedented mobility under a considerably […]
Edited by Wesley Doorsamy, Babu Sena Paul and Tshilidzi Marwala
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