Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Mentor at Australian University

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has accepted an adjunct professorship at a Sydney university and will play a mentoring role at the university's innovation lab.

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) said the appointment is the first Wozniak has accepted at any tertiary educational institution.

He will work with staff and students at the university's "Magic Lab", a centre for innovation and enterprise research focused on robotics and artificial intelligence.

"It's hard to imagine a more iconic mentor for UTS students than one of the most influential technology pioneers of the modern era," deputy vice-chancellor for research Glenn Wightwick said in a statement Tuesday.

The unpaid and open-ended appointment will see Wozniak travel to the Australian university two or three times a year. He will also take part in teleconference chats with students and support research groups.

Wozniak, who quit Apple in 1987 12 years after co-founding the technology firm with the late Steve Jobs, previously expressed his love of Australia and said in 2012 that he wanted to become a citizen.

"Woz constantly highlights the new possibilities for technology to change the world and enjoys sharing his insights and experiences," said the director of UTS' "Magic Lab" Mary-Anne Williams.