Prof.
K. S. L. Gunawardana
0000-0002-2495-4103
Head of the Department
Department of Information Technology
lasith@sjp.ac.lk
BIO
Lasith Gunawardena is a Professor and Head of the Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Currently, he serves as Co-Chair of the University's Innovation Arm, the Invention, Innovation, and Venture Creation Council (IIVCC).
He also serves on the Board of Directors at ORCID Inc. as one of two researcher directors on the board, and Co-chairs the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC) (ex officio). Additionally, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the STEMUp Foundation and the Crossref Ambassador for Sri Lanka.
Beyond the University, he functions as the Consultant for the IT for Humanities Project of the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka (Funded by the AHEAD Project / World Bank for over LKR 300 Million)
Previously, he has held the positions of Chairman, IEEE Computer Society Sri Lanka Chapter, Honorary secretary for BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Sri Lanka Section. and General Secretary, Sri Lankan Academy of Young Scientists. He has been involved in research grants from USJ, ERASMUS, ORCID Inc., Manchester Metropolitan University and Internet Society (Total exceeding EUR 1 million)
Over the past 25 years, he has inspired and impacted the lives of over 10,000 students through formal undergraduate and postgraduate programs at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Colombo, and Plymouth University, UK (Via National School of Business Management) His Research Interests include Research Data Management, Information Systems, Educational Technologies, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Security, and E-Governance. He has a patent in Japan for the invention of a gesture recognition device.
Currently, he has been elected as a fellow of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, UK, and a Senior Member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA as well as a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, USA. He further holds memberships of The Computer Society of Sri Lanka, Internet Society and Research Data Alliance among others.
He has been involved in University Level, National (National ICT Awards - NBQSA / SLASSCOM Ingenuity Awards/ Sri Lanka Inventor's Commission / ISACA Sri Lanka Digital Trust Awards), and International (APICTA, ADL Awards) ICT/Innovation Awards Competitions as a Judge since 2006. He presently chairs the judging panel of Sri Lanka's National ICT Awards, NBQSA as it's Cheif Judge.
TEACHING INTERESTS
- Information System Security
- ICT Infrastructure
- Cloud Technologies
- Network and System Administration
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Machine Learning
- Gesture Recognition using Sensor Technologies
- Educational Technologies
- Open Data / Open Science
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Doctor of Engineering (Information Systems Engineering), Shimane University, Japan (2016)
- Advanced Computing, University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka (2009)
- Physical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (1999)
AWARDS & HONOURS
- ICT Educator of the Year (Awarded at National IT Conference)
Awarded by Computer Society of Sri Lanka
PUBLICATIONS
Conference Paper
Cybersecurity for Cloud-Based IoT Devices: Views from IT Professionals
2025-02-19
Conference Paper
Investigating the potential of Blockchain to enhance Customer Data Privacy in the Banking Sector of Sri Lanka
2025-02-18
Journal Article
Unveiling University Networks Aligning with SDGS: a Social Network Analysis of the National Innovation System of Sri Lanka
2025 Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review
Journal Article
Bridging Academia and Enterprise: A Framework for Collaborative Success
2024/11 Journal of the Knowledge Economy
Journal Article
Bridging Academia and Enterprise: A Framework for Collaborative Success
2024-01-01 Journal of the Knowledge Economy
Journal Article
Bridging Academia and Enterprise: A Framework for Collaborative Success
2024 Journal of the Knowledge Economy
Conference Paper
Assessing the Awareness and Adoption of NFT Technology Among Sri Lankan Digital Artists
2023-09-21
Conference Paper
The Last Mile Problem: Determining the Commuters' Willingness and Demand Preferences towards Micromobility Solutions in Sri Lanka
2023-03-19
Journal Article
Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers
2022-01-19 Data Science Journal
Journal Article
Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers
2022 Data Science Journal
Journal Article
Utilization of E-Government Services: A study of the Citizens in Colombo Municipal Council Area, Sri Lanka
2022 Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities
Journal Article
Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers
2022 Data Science Journal
Conference Paper
A Framework for IoT-Enabled Smart Washrooms
2021-10-12
Conference Paper
An investigation on factors influencing for turn-away of IT professionals in Sri Lanka
2021-06-19
Conference Paper
Plagiarism detection software: perspectives from academic staff
2020-06-27
Journal Article
Potential for Improving Public Services by Exploring Citizens' Communication to Public Organizations
2019-01-01 Communications in Computer and Information Science
Book
Potential for improving public services by exploring citizens’ communication to public organizations
2019-01-01 Communications in Computer and Information Science
Conference Paper
Flipped Classrooms Using Social Networks: An Investigation on Learning Styles
2018-01-01
Journal Article
Detecting learning styles in learning management systems using data mining
2016-01-01 Journal of Information Processing
Journal Article
Detecting Learning Styles in Learning Management Systems Using Data Mining
2016 Journal of Information Processing
Journal Article
GestureTank: A gesture detection water vessel for foot movements
2015-01-01 International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions
Journal Article
GestureTank: A gesture detection water vessel for foot movements
2015 International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions
Journal Article
SensorTank: An Interactive Water Vessel
2014-01-01 Journal of Information Processing
Journal Article
Using Learning Styles to Enhance Learning Management Systems
2014-01-01 International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer)
Journal Article
SensorTank: An Interactive Water Vessel
2014 Journal of Information Processing
Journal Article
Using Learning Styles to Enhance Learning Management Systems
2014 International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer)
Conference Paper
SensorTank: An Interactive Water Vessel
2014 Proceedings of the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Computer Human Interaction (apCHI’12)
Journal Article
Using Learning Styles to Enhance Learning Management Systems
2014 International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer)
Conference Paper
A Framework for Adaptive Learning Management Systems using Learning Style
2013-01-01
Conference Paper
SensorTank: A water vessel for interaction
2012-01-01
Conference Paper
Development of a Live Virtual Classroom Environment for Blended Learning
2008-01-01
Conference Paper
Addressing Large Student Groups via Blended Learning Approach-Lessons Learnt and Experiences from Sri Lanka
2007-01-01
Conference Paper
Delivery of blended learning for mastering application packages
2007-01-01
Journal Article
Addressing Large Student Groups via Blended Learning Approach-Lessons Learnt and Experiences from Sri Lanka
2007 International Journal of The Computer, The Internet and Management
Administrative Assignments
Coordinator - IT Resouce Centre (FMSC) - Coordinator
2003.01.01 - 2006.12.31
Heading ITRC
MEDIA APPEARANCES
News Paper
Strengthening cybersecurity is crucial for State sector - The Sunday Morning Newspaper
2025.06.22 https://www.themorning.lk/articles/6KfzgcEcM4TcmiYjl8LX
Strengthening cybersecurity is crucial for State sector