Lecturer at University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
M.C. Akarshani Amarasinghe is an accomplished academic and researcher pursuing a PhD in Computer Engineering at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. With a strong background in machine learning, image processing, and drone technology, her work focuses on innovative solutions for public health and agriculture. She has contributed to impactful research projects, such as identifying dengue mosquito breeding sites via drones and optimizing pesticide usage in arable lands. Alongside her research, Akarshani has extensive teaching experience, is a mentor for Google Summer of Code, and holds several prestigious awards for her research excellence.
Scholar
🎓 Higher Education
01.2024 – Present PhD in Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka Supervisors: Dr. Udaya Wijenayake, Prof. K.L. Jayaratne Research: Path planning algorithm for achieving multiple goals.. 2011 – 2016. BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka Second Class Upper Division (3.25/4 – Four-Year Program)
🔬 Recent Research
D4D (Drone for Dengue) Sustainable Computing Research Group, University of Colombo School of Computing. Research on machine learning and image processing for identifying dengue mosquito breeding sites via drone images. Advisors: Prof. T.N.K. De Zoysa, Dr. C.I. Keppitiyagama. 2017 – Present GitHub Project
🧑🏫 Teaching Experience
03.02.2020 – Present Lecturer, Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka Subjects: Operating Systems, Data Mining, Natural Language Processing, Quality Engineering, Compilers.01.01.2019 – 31.01.2020 Assistant Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology Subjects: Software Engineering Concepts, Programming, Distributed Systems. 01.02.2018 – 30.12.2018 Assistant Lecturer, University of Colombo School of Computing Subjects: Programming Using C, Data Structures, Operating Systems. 2018 Visiting Lecturer, National Institute of Business Management, Sri Lanka Subject: Image Processing. 02.01.2018 – 01.02.2018 Instructor, University of Colombo School of Computing
🏅 Awards and Achievements
2023 Student Research Project of the Year at the National ICT Awards, NBQSA 2023. 2022 Best Paper in AI and ML Track, ICARC 2022. 2019 N2Women Travel Grant to attend ACM SenSys 2019. 2017 N2Women Travel Grant to attend MobiSys Women’s Workshop
🏢 Professional Service
2023 – Present Treasurer, Past Pupils’ Association, Sadhu Daham Pasala, Sri Lanka. 2015 – Present Committee Member, Thumbowila Api Welfare Society. 2012 – 2016 Committee Member, AIESEC Colombo – South
Publication
- Identifying mosquito breeding sites via drone images
Authors: C Suduwella, A Amarasinghe, L Niroshan, C Elvitigala, K De Zoysa, …
Conference: Proceedings of the 3rd Workshop on Micro Aerial Vehicle Networks, Systems
Year: 2017
Citations: 29
- A machine learning approach for identifying mosquito breeding sites via drone images
Authors: A Amarasinghe, C Suduwella, C Elvitigala, L Niroshan, RJ Amaraweera, …
Conference: Proceedings of the 15th ACM Conference on Embedded Network Sensor Systems
Year: 2017
Citations: 15
- Suppressing dengue via a drone system
Authors: A Amarasinghe, C Suduwella, L Niroshan, C Elvitigala, K De Zoysa, …
Conference: 2017 Seventeenth International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions
Year: 2017
Citations: 15
- A swarm of crop spraying drones solution for optimizing safe pesticide usage in arable lands
Authors: A Amarasinghe, VB Wijesuriya, D Ganepola, L Jayaratne
Conference: Proceedings of the 17th Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems
Year: 2019
Citations: 10
- A path planning algorithm for an autonomous drone against the overuse of pesticides
Authors: A Amarasinghe, VB Wijesuriya, L Jayaratne
Conference: 2021 10th International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability
Year: 2021
Citations: 5
- Drones vs dengue: a drone-based mosquito control system for preventing dengue
Authors: A Amarasinghe, VB Wijesuriya
Conference: 2020 RIVF International Conference on Computing and Communication Technologies
Year: 2020
Citations: 4
- Stimme: a chat application for communicating with hearing impaired persons
Authors: A Amarasinghe, VB Wijesuriya
Conference: 2019 14th Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS)
Year: 2019
Citations: 4
✅ Conclusion
M.C. Akarshani Amarasinghe is an excellent candidate for the Research for Young Scientist Award. Her innovative contributions to drone technology for health and agriculture, leadership roles, and technical skills make her stand out. With continued expansion of her research portfolio and international exposure, she has the potential to achieve even greater recognition in the future.