Affiliation: University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) | Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Dr. Rathnayaka is currently a Lecturer in Engineering at University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He is alumni of LAMSES (Laboratory for Advanced Modelling and Simulation in Engineering and Science). Dr. Rathnayaka conducts his research on Computational Mechanics while implementing learning and teaching research on Engineering Education. His research on Computational Mechanics focuses on better understanding of the mechanical response of soft matter under different loading conditions as caused by various natural and man-made circumstances. His Engineering education-related research focuses on peer-programs, support-for-learning, student success and retention. He is an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Peer Learning. He completed his PhD in the field of Computational Mechanics at QUT in 2017, having previously completed Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). He was awarded QUT Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award (Executive Dean’s Commendation Award) for carrying out outstanding research. During his PhD, he successfully developed the world’s first meshfree computational mechanics-based plant cellular drying model. In doing so, he used Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Coarse-Grained methods to develop advanced computational methods with the aid of High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies. He has been capitalising on these skills and knowledge to conduct further research in multidisciplinary domains of engineering and science. Dr. Rathnayaka conducts his teaching in multiple sub-fields of Engineering such as Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics. In 2018, he was nominated for a Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award at QUT based on his highly successful teaching efforts. His body of work in the area of Engineering Education has recently been recognised through the award of a Senior Fellowship of UK Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).