Dr. Roshan N Rajapakse
PhD (Adelaide), B.Sc. (Hons) (Col), CAPM, MIEEE, CTHE-SEDA (UK)
Senior Lecturer
Research Interests: Empirical software engineering, Mining software repositories, Software Security, Cognitive science
Publication Summary
Biography
Biography
Dr. Roshan N. Rajapakse is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), where he contributes to teaching, research, and academic programme development in software engineering, cybersecurity, and information systems. He holds a PhD in Empirical Software Engineering from the University of Adelaide, with his doctoral research focusing on secure software delivery in continuous software engineering settings. He is actively involved in curriculum development and teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with a particular interest in connecting current/emerging software engineering practices with industry needs.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Rajapakse is involved in applied research and industry-oriented technology initiatives through the Software Insights Research Lab (SIRL). His work explores practical approaches to improving software security, quality, and development processes, including research on vulnerability management, secure software delivery, and AI-assisted software engineering. He has contributed to research projects and technology initiatives involving cloud platforms, microservices, SaaS applications, and cybersecurity, while also taking on leadership roles in academic and professional activities, including the organisation of international research conferences.
Software Insights Research Lab
Since 2024, Dr. Rajapakse is the Founder and Lead of the Software Insights Research Lab at the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC). The lab is an interdisciplinary research group focused on advancing software technologies, continuous software development practices such as CI/CD, and emerging software delivery models including Software as a Service (SaaS). Its research combines empirical software engineering with interdisciplinary perspectives, including concepts from cognitive science, to improve the security and sustainability of modern software systems. Key research activities include data-driven experimentation in software delivery pipelines to support practical decision-making and trade-off analysis, such as balancing development speed and security; developing novel software metrics and tools for vulnerability assessment and secure software delivery; and conducting applied research addressing local challenges. Current projects include exploring telehealth models to improve healthcare accessibility in rural Sri Lanka, in collaboration with institutions such as the Lady Ridgeway Hospital.
Academic
Dr. Rajapakse’s teaching experience spans more than ten years across the University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Adelaide, and University of South Australia. Throughout his academic career, he has taught diverse cohorts of students across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, covering areas such as software engineering, cybersecurity, enterprise systems, and information technology. This experience has enabled him to develop a flexible, student-centred teaching approach that employs a range of teaching methods and learning activities tailored to students' diverse backgrounds, abilities, and learning needs.
In 2025, Dr. Rajapakse served as Technical Program Committee Co-Chair for the 25th International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer 2025), where he played a key role in coordinating the technical programme and leading the activities associated with securing the publication of the conference proceedings in the Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) series.
In 2026, Dr. Rajapakse serves as General Co-Chair of the 26th International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer 2026).
Awards
Honours & Awards
Best Paper – ICTer 2012
International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer 2012).
Gold Medal – University of Colombo, 2013
Awarded for the Best Final Year Undergraduate Research Project at the General Convocation of the University of Colombo.
Gold Award – NBQSA 2015
e-Health Applications Category, National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA 2015), organised by the British Computer Society (BCS) Sri Lanka, for an active video game-based virtual rehabilitation system for children with brain injuries.
Winner – Manthan Awards 2015
Winner in the e-Health Category, organised by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), India, for Virtual Rehabilitation for Children with Brain Injuries.
Gold Award – NBQSA 2012
Tertiary Category, National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA 2012), organised by the British Computer Society (BCS) Sri Lanka, for a facial muscle anatomy-based forensic facial reconstruction solution for Sri Lanka. The project represented Sri Lanka in the Research and Development Category at the APICTA 2013, Hong Kong.
National Winner – e-Swabhimani 2012
Winner in the e-Science and Technology Category, organised by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, for the facial muscle anatomy-based forensic facial reconstruction solution for Sri Lanka. The project was subsequently selected as Sri Lanka's National Nominee for the World Summit Awards 2013.
National Winner – e-Swabhimani 2016
Winner in the Health and Environment Category, organised by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, for RunTropica, a project developed by the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) and Monash University, Malaysia.
Best Research – 17th Annual Academic Sessions, 2018
Best Research Award at the 17th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka.
Best Research – 11th Annual Academic Sessions, 2012
Best Research Award at the 11th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka. The research also received the Best Oral Presentation Award.
Best Oral Presentation – Annual Scientific Sessions 2012
Best Oral Presentation Award at the Annual Scientific Sessions of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
Teaching
Teaching Experience
Senior Lecturer — University of Colombo School of Computing
January 2025 – Present | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Rajapakse serves as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in software engineering, cybersecurity, information security, and enterprise systems.
Courses taught:
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MIS3202 – Secure Software Systems
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MIS3203 – Information Security Governance
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MC3003 – Open Source Intelligence
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IS4105 / CS4127 – Advanced Concepts in Software Design and Development
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IS3114 – Enterprise Applications
Teaching and Academic Contributions:
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Delivering lectures for the Master of CyberSecurity and Information Security postgraduate degree programmes.
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Delivering undergraduate courses in software design, software development, and enterprise applications.
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Supervision of final-year research projects, with several student projects resulting in publications at leading academic venues.
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Coordination of the UCSC outreach programme [co-coordinator].
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Serving as a member of the University of Colombo Sports Board.
Coordinator — Master of Cybersecurity Degree Programme
2025 – Present | University of Colombo School of Computing
Dr. Rajapakse coordinates the Master of Cybersecurity degree programme, overseeing academic planning, curriculum development, and programme delivery while ensuring alignment with industry requirements and international standards.
Visiting Lecturer — University of Sri Jayewardenepura
September 2024 – Present | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Rajapakse serves as a Visiting Lecturer for the Bachelor of Computing Honours in Software Engineering programme.
Course taught:
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CSE2082 – Fundamentals of Software Security
Teaching Assistant — University of Adelaide
August 2019 – June 2024 | Adelaide, Australia
Dr. Rajapakse worked as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Adelaide, supporting teaching and learning activities across software engineering and software process improvement courses.
Courses taught:
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COMP SCI 3318 – Software Engineering in Industry
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COMP SCI 4023 – Software Process Improvement
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COMP SCI 3006 – Software Engineering & Project
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COMP SCI 4414A – Software Engineering Research Project
Teaching Contributions:
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Facilitated workshops and assisted course coordinators in developing teaching materials, including case studies and assignments.
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Supervised students undertaking software engineering projects.
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Contributed to assessment and marking activities.
Workshop Facilitator & Tutor — University of South Australia
March 2023 – December 2024 | Adelaide, Australia
Dr. Rajapakse facilitated workshops and tutorials focusing on systems analysis, requirements engineering, user experience, and design thinking.
Courses taught:
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INFT1030 – Design Thinking Studio
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INFS1026 – System Requirements and User Experience
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INFT1031 – System Requirements Studio
Teaching Contributions:
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Conducted workshops guiding students in deriving system requirements and designing user experiences for information technology solutions.
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Guided students in applying design thinking methodologies to identify and address complex, industry-based challenges.
Lecturer (Probationary) — University of Colombo School of Computing
December 2016 – 2019 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Rajapakse served as a permanent academic staff member at the University of Colombo School of Computing in the Department of Communications and Media Technologies.
Undergraduate courses taught:
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems
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IS2106 – Business Process Management
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IS2112 – e-Business Strategy
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IS2114 – Business Process Re-engineering
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IS3101 – Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
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SCS1210 – Software Engineering II
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SCS3209 – Human-Computer Interaction
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SCS3210 – Systems and Network Administration
Postgraduate course taught:
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MCS4203 – Image Processing and Computer Vision, Master of Science in Computer Science
Laboratories, Practicals and Tutorials:
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SCS3210 – Systems and Network Administration
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SCS2201 – Data Structures and Algorithms
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MIT3205 – User Interface Design
Teaching and Academic Contributions:
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Delivered lectures across undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.
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Conducted online teaching for Business Process Re-engineering and Final Year Project in Information Systems.
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Redesigned course curricula in response to changing industry requirements and student expectations, drawing on professional experience in enterprise systems and supply chain management.
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Redesigned the IS2106 Business Process Management and IS2114 Business Process Re-engineering courses.
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Designed end-of-semester examinations, assignments, grading guidelines, and marking schemes.
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Conducted examination invigilation, assessment, and assignment evaluation.
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Supervised final-year undergraduate capstone and research projects, with selected projects subsequently resulting in research publications.
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Developed student feedback collection forms and an automated feedback analysis system for the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at UCSC.
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Served as a member of the Student Assessment and Awards Committee for the 2019 Programme Review.
Research Supervision:
Dr. Rajapakse supervised undergraduate research projects in areas including medical image processing, deep learning, serious games, cognitive assessment, and healthcare technology. Selected supervised projects that resulted in publications include:
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Pre-detection of dementia syndromes from neuroimaging data using image processing and deep learning techniques.
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Establishing game-based performance indexes for localised serious games for cognitive assessment of patients with Alzheimer's disease in Sri Lanka.
Assistant Lecturer — University of Colombo School of Computing
February 2016 – December 2016 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Rajapakse served as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Communications and Media Technologies at the University of Colombo School of Computing.
Teaching Responsibilities:
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Delivered undergraduate lectures for the Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science programmes.
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Taught courses including Business Process Management, e-Business Strategy, Business Process Re-engineering, Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, Software Engineering II, Human-Computer Interaction, and Systems and Network Administration.
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Delivered MCS4203 – Image Processing and Computer Vision for the Master of Science in Computer Science programme.
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Conducted laboratory sessions, practicals, and tutorials in Systems and Network Administration, Data Structures and Algorithms, and User Interface Design.
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Designed examinations, assignments, grading guidelines, and marking schemes.
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Supervised final-year undergraduate research projects and capstone projects.
Academic and Research Contributions:
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Prepared research grant proposals, including the FaceID project aimed at establishing a forensic facial reconstruction centre for Sri Lanka.
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Supervised Research Assistants involved in research funded by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka.
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Conducted research and published journal articles and conference papers.
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Served as a reviewer for the International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer).
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Participated in Internal Quality Assurance Cell activities, Board of Study meetings, and curriculum revision workshops.
Guest Lecturer — University of Colombo School of Computing
2013 – 2014 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Rajapakse began his university teaching career as a Guest Lecturer at the University of Colombo School of Computing.
Teaching Contributions:
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Delivered guest lectures for undergraduate courses in Business Process Re-engineering and e-Business Technologies.
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Delivered lectures in Computer Vision, covering foundational concepts and applied techniques informed by his research experience.
Employment
Professional Activities
- Senior Member, IEEE — Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Member, CSSL — Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL)