Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Associate Professor Richard Clare is a specialist in adaptive optics, classical and physical optics, and image processing, with expertise in developing advanced optical systems that mitigate atmospheric turbulence for ground based astronomical and satellite imaging. His work enhances the performance and scientific yield of large aperture telescopes by designing, simulating, and building next generation adaptive optics technologies that deliver high precision, high stability observations under real atmospheric conditions.

Richard contributes to two major international applications:

• Optical design and performance optimisation for the European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), one of the world’s flagship next generation astronomy facilities. 
• High resolution satellite imaging and space debris detection using the telescopes at the University of Canterbury’s Mount John Observatory, supporting global space domain awareness.

He supervises postgraduate research in adaptive optics, wavefront sensing, atmospheric tomography, computational imaging, and machine learning. 

Assoc. Prof. Enda Crossin is the Head of Department, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer (Australia) in areas of Mechanical Engineering, Leadership and Management, and Project Management. He is the Vice President of the Australasian Assocation for Engineering Education. 

Assoc. Prof. Enda Crossin is a specialist in engineering practice, materials, and sustainability, with extensive experience leading industry-based research projects across sectors such as renewable energy, packaging, and the built environment. His life cycle assessment research focuses on the application of life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of emerging material technologies and waste-management systems. His engineering practice research focuses on life-course studies of engineers; he leads the BeLongEng project, the first longitudinal study of engineering practice, which examines how engineers learn, work, and develop across their careers.

Assoc. Prof. Crossin is passionate about developing engineers who are prepared for work in the 21st century, and is a Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand | Te Ao Rangahau, Engineers Australia, and is the Vice-President of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education.

My research is mainly related to magnetics engineering, including:

• Wireless Power Transfer: primarily near-field magnetic inductive power transfer, which is the technology behind wireless charging for smartphones and wearables. I have developed wireless chargers for consumer products, e-bikes and scooters, drones, implantable medical devices and electric vehicles. My research focuses on extending state-of-the-art efficiency and power density, mainly by operating the magnetic link at high frequency in the low-MHz range. 
• Applied Superconductivity: mainly flux pumps, which are wireless power supplies for superconducting magnets that thermally isolate the cold magnet from the room-temperature power supply, reducing the cryogenic burden and resulting in a smaller and lower-cost system. I am also interested in High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) magnet design, particularly non-insulated magnets, and in superconducting machines and cryogenics for hydrogen-electric aviation.
• Nuclear Fusion: mainly superconducting magnets and power systems, but also reactor integration for Tokamaks including plasma-magnet interaction, disruptions, neutronics and reactor economics. 

I also have a growing interest in machine learning for engineering, particularly reinforcement learning for robotics (using Nvidia Isaac Lab) and Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) for engineering modelling.

I enjoy leading engineering projects — defining the brief and scope, whether with industry partners or internally, then guiding and supervising delivery as needed. I value strong engineering processes and boundaries. My main focus is Final Year Projects (FYP) for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

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.

Dr Andrew Lapthorn leads the High Voltage Laboratory at the University of Canterbury, specialising in high-voltage engineering, power system resilience, electrical insulation performance, dielectric testing, and conformity assessment for the electrical industry. His expertise spans high-power systems, grid-scale electrical infrastructure, asset performance, failure analysis, and standards compliance, with recognised leadership as an IEC Young Professional. He has authored more than 60 technical papers and over 20 technical reports across high-voltage testing, power system reliability, and advanced electrical materials.

He leads Workstream 4 of the MBIE-funded programme Architecture of the Future Low Carbon, Resilient, Electrical Power System, focusing on future-grid architecture, low-carbon energy systems, electrification, and resilient power networks. He also leads Workstream 4 and contributes to Workstream 3 of the MBIE project High Power Electric Motors for Large-Scale Transport, advancing research in electrified transport, high-power motor technologies, and energy-efficient propulsion. As University of Canterbury lead, he directs research on the performance of power system protection under extreme solar storms within the Solar Tsunamis MBIE Endeavour Programme.

Dr Lapthorn serves as Secretary of the IEEE New Zealand Council and as Convenor of the New Zealand Panel of CIGRE A3 — High Voltage Equipment. Internationally, he is a member of the CIGRE D1 Study Committee on materials and emerging test techniques, and of Working Group B1.82, contributing to international work on cable systems, high-voltage equipment performance, and power system standards.