ProfessorRichard Jones

Last updated: May 2026

RICHARD D. JONES received his B.E.(Hons) and M.E. degrees in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, in 1974 and 1975 respectively and a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Otago in 1987. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at University of Canterbury, an Adjunct Professor in the School of School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, an Adjunct Professor in Department of Communication Disorders, University of Canterbury, an ex-Research Fellow in School of Law, University of Canterbury, and an ex-Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch.  Until Sep 2025, he was Director of the Christchurch Neurotechnology Research Programme based in the New Zealand Brain Research Institute. Until Dec 2022, he was a senior biomedical engineer & neuroscientist in the Department of Medical Physics & Bioengineering at Christchurch Hospital.

Richard’s research interests and contributions fall largely within neural engineering and the neurosciences, and particularly within (1) human performance engineering – development and application of computerized tests for quantification of upper-limb sensory-motor and cognitive function, particularly in brain disorders (stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury) and driver assessment, (2) lapses of responsiveness (microsleeps, attention lapses) – characteristics, brain mechanisms via simultaneous-fMRI+EEG+Tracking+EyeClosure, and detection from behavioural measures (tracking and videometrics) and electrophysiological signals (EEG, EOG), (3) signal processing in clinical neurophysiology – detection of epileptic activity, (4) eye movements in brain disorders, (5) computational modelling of the human brain, (6) neural control of swallowing and rehabilitation of swallowing disorders, (7) obstructive sleep apnea and adverse effects on brain, and (8) forensic brainwave analysis.  See/download publications (2004-2025) at: https://www.nzbri.org/Labs/Publications.

Richard is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, a Life Fellow and Past President of the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK), a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and a past Fellow of American Institution for Medical and Biological Engineering. He was Editor of the Neural Engineering & Rehabilitation Engineering Theme at Annual International Conferences of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society and Theme Co-Chair at several past EMBS conferences.  He is a past Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, a past member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Neural Engineering, a past Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, and a past member of the EMBS’s Administrative Committee (representing the Asia-Pacific region). 

He was voted Supervisor of the Year by the students of University of Canterbury in 2013 and 2015.