Lasith Gunawardena

Digital trust, open research infrastructure, and AI governance are reshaping how societies function — and how emerging economies participate in that transformation. I work at that intersection, combining academic leadership, international board governance, and national policy to drive meaningful change.

I serve on the Board of Directors of ORCID Inc. as one of two Researcher-Directors globally, and Co-Chair the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC). ORCID underpins the global research identity infrastructure used by millions of researchers and thousands of institutions worldwide — my role connects Sri Lanka and the broader Global South to that governance conversation.

As an elected member of the BCS UK Council (2026–2029) and the 30th Chairman of the BCS Sri Lanka Section, I bridge the UK's leading professional body for computing with the development of Sri Lanka's digital ecosystem. I am a Fellow of BCS, and a Senior Member of both IEEE and ACM. I am a former chair of the IEEE Computer Society's Sri Lanka Chapter.

At the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, I am Professor and a former Head at the Department of Information Technology, Co-Chair of the Invention, Innovation and Venture Creation Council (IIVCC), and former Chair of the IT Governance Committee (FMSC). Over 25 years, I have taught and mentored more than 10,000 students across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes conducted by Sri Lankan Universities and as a Registered University Teacher of Plymouth University, UK.

In national policy, I serve on the Digital Transformation of Education Taskforce appointed by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Sanasa General Insurance. As Chief Judge of Sri Lanka's National ICT Awards (NBQSA) — a role I have held in 2024 and 2025 — I oversee the country's most prestigious Information Technology recognition programme.

I am the Crossref Ambassador for Sri Lanka and a member of the Research Data Alliance and Internet Society. My research spans Research Data Management, Information Systems, AI & Education, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Security, and E-Governance. I hold a patent in Japan for a gesture recognition device and have led research grants exceeding EUR 1 million from USJ, ERASMUS, ORCID Inc., Manchester Metropolitan University, and the Internet Society.