Mary-Anne Williams
Mary-Anne Williams researches knowledge representation, planning and human-AI collaboration. She earned her Sydney AI doctorate in 1994. With Norman Foo and Pavlos Peppas she worked on entrenchment-based reasoning about action in a 1996–1999 research project. Her later education includes an Edinburgh degree in innovation, law and technology in 2008. Her research focuses on explanations, accountability and AI that reflects human preferences. AAAI elected her a Fellow in 2022.
- Now at
- UNSW Sydney
- Works
- 263
- Citations
- 3,007
- h-index
- 28
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.
Timeline
-
1994
Doctoral study in AI
Williams earned her Sydney AI doctorate in 1994. She also earned a computing master’s degree in 1991. Her research interests include knowledge representation, reasoning and planning, forming a technical basis for later work on human-centered AI.
-
1996–1999
Shared reasoning about action
Williams worked on an Australian Research Council project on entrenchment-based reasoning about action from 1996 to 1999. Williams worked with Norman Foo and Pavlos Peppas. The project developed planning algorithms for changing requirements, connecting the revision of beliefs with decisions about actions.
-
2008
Technology and law
Williams earned a master’s degree in innovation, law and technology at Edinburgh in 2008. She later described research on explainable AI, accountability and alignment with human preferences.
-
2022 and direct research statement
Recognition and human-AI collaboration
AAAI elected Williams a Fellow in 2022. Williams researches how humans and AI accomplish shared tasks, and how explanations can help users understand system decisions. It connects reasoning methods with the design of accountable interaction.
Sources and credits
Photo: www.unsw.edu.au; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: unsw.edu.au. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.