Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2023
  4. arrow_forward_ios 09
  5. arrow_forward_ios UTS researcher wins top defence industry award

UTS researcher wins top defence industry award

27 September 2023

UTS researcher Dr Marian-Andrei Rizoiu’s work countering disinformation online has been recognised at the 2023 Australian Defence Industry Awards.

Disinformation. Adobe Stock image

Image: Adobe Stock by Skórzewiak

Dr Marian-Andrei Rizoiu’s work countering misinformation and disinformation online, including state-backed information operations and digital propaganda, has been recognised at the 2023 Australian Defence Industry Awards, with the prestigious Excellence Award as well as Academic of the Year. 

“My main goal is to understand how information flows online, and what makes it viral. I develop tools to study misinformation and disinformation: to detect it, predict its importance, and design countermeasures,” said Dr Rizoiu, who leads the Behavioural Data Science Lab at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). 

“Winning this award is a recognition of my research’s value. It confirms that my interdisciplinary approach, methods, tools and data are on the right path to solving real-world problems for Defence,” he said.

Professor Peta Wyeth, Dean of the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT, congratulated Dr Rizoiu on this significant achievement.

“These awards recognise the significant contributions of Marian-Andrei's research, as he collaborates with Defence partners to address the escalating challenge of misinformation detection,” she said. 

Australian Defence Industry Awards

Image: supplied

Dr Rizoiu said while online social media was intended to provide equal access to information, it has become a breeding ground for harmful content such as misinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremist narratives. 

“We witnessed protests against mask-wearing during COVID-19 and a rise in unfounded fears surrounding vaccinations. Past experiences show that our deliberative democratic processes, such as elections, are vulnerable to online influence and opinion manipulation,” Dr Rizoiu said.

His research combats these issues, addressing the lifecycle of misinformation. His team has built a software system designed for law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies, which allows them to monitor, detect and react to information operations (IO). 

“I wanted to apply my research to an application with real-world impact to solve a real-world issue. The more I dug into the topic of mis- and disinformation the more I realised this is a real societal issue bound to stay and impact our society.

I develop tools to study misinformation and disinformation: to detect it, predict its importance, and design countermeasures.

Dr Marian-Andrei Rizoiu

Dr Rizoiu developed a four-step process to detect and react to online misinformation. The first was to build tools that could monitor online discussion spaces. The second was to employ advanced AI techniques to detect extremist ideology, foreign interference, and their corresponding narratives.

The third step was to use Machine Learning tools to forecast the effectiveness of these narratives, predicting the number of users they will reach and how long they will persist. This allows those monitoring online media to the prioritise which operations to counter.

Lastly, Dr Rizoiu developed mitigation techniques, both reactive (debunking) and proactive ('prebunking' or helping people recognise false claims before encountering them), to combat the spread of misinformation. He also developed a unique approach to detecting IO agents.

“Given the sophisticated tactics employed by IO agents, I recognised that traditional methods of analysing messaging content was not sufficient. As a result, I shifted the paradigm and proposed a new methodology that investigates the reaction patterns of the social systems and target users.

“By studying the specific reactions elicited by IO agents, I could identify patterns indicative of inauthentic accounts, commonly known as sock-puppets or trolls. 

“This approach proved to be a significant breakthrough, as it circumvented the language barriers and the diversified discussion topics employed by these actors. Rather than analysing content, the focus shifted to understanding the responses generated, thus enabling scalable detection of IO agents.”

Dr Rizoiu’s work has contributed to shaping policy and regulation around mis- and disinformation, and he currently leads research projects valued at over $1.8 million from the Department of Home Affairs, Defence Science and Technology and Facebook.

The future direction of his research includes continuing collaboration with stakeholders to develop practical tools and prototypes, as well as developing a better theoretical understanding of how to 'prebunk' information operations, and how to assist those who slide into misinformation narratives.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Technology and design

Related News

  • A robotic dog walks down a dusty path surrounded by people wearing military uniforms.
    Mind-control robots a reality
  • Boy looking at his phone
    Government regulation can effectively curb social media dangers
  • Artificial intelligence, connections and nucleus in concept of interconnected neurons. 3D illustration. Abstract background with binary numbers, neural network and cloud computing.
    LinkedIn study shows the best connections for finding a job

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility