Rajith Vidanaarachchi

Hello, I am Rajith!

I work as a Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, conducting research on AI, LLMs, agent-based modelling, neural network architectures, and ethical AI. I lead projects applying data science to complex social and spatial systems.

I am also an AI Consultant at Quantuma, where I design and prototype intelligent automation tools and decision-support pipelines that combine machine learning, forecasting, and natural-language reasoning. I advise on AI architecture, orchestration, and deployment to enhance scalability and responsiveness of production-grade AI solutions.

Previously, I played a key technical role in Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic response as a Senior Technical Officer at the University of New England, delivering predictive modelling and simulation frameworks to support national public health policy.

My Research

I lead and collaborate on projects applying AI, LLMs, agent-based modelling, and data science to complex social and spatial systems. My research focuses on neural network architectures, automation, and the integration of ethical and explainable AI into real-world contexts. I design and implement predictive and simulation-based workflows to support evidence-based decision-making for research and government partners.

My research interests include fair and ethical AI, optimisation, pattern recognition, community analysis, and the development of intelligent data-driven workflows that integrate automation and forecasting. Recent work includes developing advanced analytics methodologies for WorkSafe Victoria and TAC Victoria, and building participatory AI models exploring housing, health, and spatial dynamics. I am interested in supervising projects related to these research areas.

My Teaching

I am an avid educator and have always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with the next generation. I have extensive teaching and training experience in data structures and algorithms, as well as in AI and machine learning. Currently, I lecture, coordinate subjects, and develop teaching material for AI for Engineering and Numerical Methods for Engineers at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne. I am also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

I have previously tutored courses in Engineering Data Analytics, Foundations of Computing, Computer Networks, and Machine Learning at the Australian National University and the University of Moratuwa.

My Background

I received my PhD from the College of Engineering and Computer Science of the Australian National University, where I specialized in pattern recognition for complex heterogeneous time-series data. My doctoral research focused on microbial community behaviour analysis. After my PhD, I began applying these community behaviour analysis techniques to human societies, coupled with Agent-Based Modelling approaches.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. I have also trained and worked as a Software Engineer, bringing practical development experience to my research and consulting work.

My technical expertise includes advanced proficiency in Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch), SQL, and R, with extensive experience designing end-to-end AI pipelines, automating data processes, and deploying scalable solutions on platforms such as Replit and Azure.

My Non-Academic Interests

In my spare time, I engage in a variety of hobbies.

COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns in Melbourne made me an artist, mostly working with watercolours; I sometimes sell my art, but yet to earn a profit with it! You can check my work on my instagram account.
A life-long hobby of mine has been learning languages - both classical and contemporary. I speak a few with various degrees of fluency.
Check what I’m reading these days on my goodreads account.

This Website

This website has been developed using academicpages template, and is hosted on GitHub pages.