I am a roboticist with a Ph.D. from the University of Technology Sydney, specializing in robot perception, localisation, and deep learning. I’m currently a Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Canberra, where I lead the Robot Intelligence research stream at the Collaborative Robotics Lab. 

My current research sits at the intersection of robotics, psychology, and the arts—applying explainable AI to make embodied systems more transparent, investigating social presence in human-robot interaction, and exploring whether robots can do physical theatre. Spoiler: they can, and it’s wonderfully weird.

Beyond academia, I work as an artist in theatre, filmmaking, animation, and game design. I also founded the Digital Well-being Initiative (because irony is me advocating for less screen time) and serve as lead engineer for the Arka Initiative, a Sri Lankan non-profit focused on sexual and reproductive health.

I am passionate about teaching, science communication, and advocating for an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation. I believe the most meaningful work happens at the edges where different fields collide—where robots meet art, where psychology meets engineering, and where technology serves human well-being.