Arthur Lowery is an Australian engineer known for his work in optical communications, photonic signal processing, and cortical neuroprosthetics. He joined Monash University as Professor of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering in 2004, served as Head of the department from 2007 to 2012, and was an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow from 2013 to 2018. He became Emeritus Professor at Monash in 2025.

Lowery has a long track record of translating engineering research into commercial technologies. He founded Virtual Photonics, which developed widely used optical-network simulation software, and later Ofidium, a Monash spin-out based on optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology developed with Jean Armstrong. His research spans optical communications, photonic circuits, computer simulation, and brain-machine interfaces, and he has published more than 320 scientific papers. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Since 2010, Lowery has served as Director and Project Leader of the Monash Vision Group, where he has led development of the Gennaris cortical visual prosthesis. Gennaris bypasses the eyes and optic nerves by transmitting visual information directly to implants placed over the visual cortex. The system uses multiple wirelessly powered implant tiles, each providing stimulation through 43 electrodes, together with a camera and external vision-processing system that reduces complex scenes to patterns of stimulation intended to support tasks such as navigation and object recognition.

The Monash Vision Group has progressed Gennaris through extensive preclinical development and is seeking funding for a first-in-human clinical trial in people with profound bilateral blindness. Although Lowery retired from his regular Monash professorship in 2025, Monash continues to identify him as the project leader of the Monash Vision Group. He also remains active in photonics research as a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS).

Experience

• Emeritus Professor (2025 - present)

  Monash University

• Chief Investigator (2023 - present)

  ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS)

• Director (2010 - present)

  Monash Vision Group

  Monash University

• Director (2009 - present)

  Monash Vishing Group (MVG) Consortium

• Professor (2004 - 2025)

  Monash Vision Group

  Monash University

• ARC Laureate Fellow (2013 - 2018)

  Monash University

Education

• PhD (1984 - 1988)

  University of Nottingham