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Kanishka Wijewardena

Michigan State University

Email:

wijewar2 (at) msu (dot) edu

I am a Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

Expected Dec. 2026

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

in Computer Science

2021 - 2024

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Master of Science (M.S.)

in Computer Science

  • GPA: 3.75

2017 - 2021

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

in Computer Engineering

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

  • GPA: 3.92

  • Minor in Mathematics; Honors College; Dean’s List

RESEARCH AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

JAN 2023 -  PRESENT

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University

Research Assistant

  • Advised by Prof. Li Xiao of the exploratory Laboratory for Advanced Network Systems (eLANS) in the Department of Computer Science at Michigan State University.

  • Investigating physical layer-oriented design of mobile systems for remote wireless communications

  • Research interests: Deep Learning for Next Generation Wireless Communications (6G and Beyond) and Internet of Things (IoT); Semantic Communication; Non Orthogonal Multiple Access.

Teaching Assistant

  • Teaching Assistant - CSE 102, 325: Algorithmic Thinking & Programming; Computer systems (Spring, Summer 2023; Summer, Fall 2025).

  • Assisted class instructors in the preparation of assignments and sample exam questions, supervising student helprooms, and assisting course instructors with administrative tasks

  • Graduate Assistant for the MSU Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (EnSURE) 2024. Conducted weekly seminar sessions, evaluated undergraduate student research posters, reports, research abstracts, and annotated bibliographies. Mentored students on navigating a laboratory environment and communicating with advisors and other graduate students

MAY 2021 - DEC. 2022

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University

Graduate Research Assistant

  • Conducting fingerprint verification, template inversion, spoof detection and data analysis using computer vision and deep learning tools.

  • Conducting face biometric template verification and identification using open-source and commercial-off-the-shelf face matchers and analyzing the differences between the matching accuracies of different face matching software and algorithms.

Sep. 2017 – Aug. 2020

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (EnSURE): Summers 2019 and 2020

  • Assisted with the design of Printed Circuit Board layouts for circuits, based on outlines provided.

  • Implemented a sample simulation program in Python to demonstrate a Block Chain inspired RFID based information architecture for a food supply chain.

  • Designed a prototype smartphone-based application for remote IoT sensors monitoring

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

2021- Present

LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH EXPERIENCE

Sep. 2025 - Present

Sri Lankan Students Association,

Michigan State University

Vice - President

  • Welcoming new Sri Lankan students to Michigan State University. Hosting events and conducting outreach on behalf of the Sri Lankan community at Michigan State University and the greater Meridian Township region.

2021-2022

Ohio Innocence Project,

University of Cincinnati College of Law

Volunteer

  • Providing neutral and unbiased technical expertise by conducting face identification, verification and data analysis on photographic and video evidence using open-source and commercial-off-the-shelf face matchers, without being privy to the details of an ongoing case, or prior conviction.

2018 - 2021

​Michigan State University

Residence Education

  • As a Resident Assistant (Aug. 2019 – May 2020, Aug. 2020 – May 2021) in Holmes Hall, MSU, organized community events, and provided resources to residents. 

  • In addition, conducted duty rounds, handled mandatory reporting responsibilities, enforced policy, and maintained overall wellbeing of students during the academic year, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • As an Intercultural Aide (Aug. 2018 – May 2019) in Holmes Hall, MSU, collaborated with Resident Assistants (RAs) to conduct outreach, organize events, and maintain the wellbeing of the residential community. Organized and facilitated weekly roundtable discussions that discuss a wide variety of topics within the MSU community.

 Sep. 2017 – May 2021

President (May 2020 - May 2021)

Member (September 2017 - May 2020)

International Scholars Advisory Board,

​Michigan State University

  • ​Organizing monthly meetings and events intended to foster the academic, social, and personal growth of international students in the Honors College.

May 2018 - May 2019

Tower Guard, Class of 2018 - 2019

Member

  • Collaborated with the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) to assist students with disabilities gain equal access to educational and other opportunities by organizing events, assisting with examinations, acting as a class scribe and performing other miscellaneous duties, as requested by the RCPD.

PUBLICATIONS

PUBLICATIONS

  • K. Wijewardena, G. Klevering, X. Zhang and L. Xiao, "VIOSem: Visual-Inertial Odometry via Semantic Communication-enhanced Modulation Design," , Chicago, IL, USA, 2025

  • G. Klevering, K. Wijewardena, X. Zhang, J. Siegel and L. Xiao, "PlaCoB: Collaborative Beamforming for Long Range Platoon-to-Platoon Communication," , Chicago, IL, USA, 2025

  • X. Zhang, G. Klevering, K. Wijewardena and L. Xiao, "Demo: Integrated On-site Localization and Optical Camera Communication for Drones," 2023 IEEE 24th International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks (WoWMoM), Boston, MA, USA, 2023, pp. 334-336, doi: 10.1109/WoWMoM57956.2023.00055.

  • S. A. Grosz, K. P. Wijewardena and A. K. Jain, "ViT Unified: Joint Fingerprint Recognition and Presentation Attack Detection," 2023 IEEE International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB), Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2023.

  • K. P. Wijewardena, S. A. Grosz, K. Cao and A. K. Jain, "Fingerprint Template Invertibility: Minutiae vs. Deep Templates," in IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, vol. 18, pp. 744-757, 2023.

  • S. Mondal, K. P. Wijewardena, S. Karuppuswami, N. Kriti, D. Kumar, and P. Chahal, “Blockchain Inspired RFID-Based Information Architecture for Food Supply Chain,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 5803–5813, 2019.

  • S. Mondal et al., "A Wireless Battery-less Seat Sensor for Autonomous Vehicles," 2020 IEEE 70th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), Orlando, FL, USA, 2020, pp. 2289-2294, doi: 10.1109/ECTC32862.2020.00357.

  • S. Mondal, M. I. Mohd. Ghazali, K. Wijewardena, D. Kumar and P. Chahal, "3D Printed Interposer Layer for High Density Packaging of IoT Devices," 2019 IEEE 69th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2019, pp. 1687-1692.

SKILLS

SKILLS

TECHNICAL

Python - OpenCV, Numpy, TensorFlow, PyTorch

C/C++ - Arduino and other microcontroller programming, Object-Oriented Programming

MATLAB - Data analysis and visualization

OTHER

Public Speaking

Crisis Response and Mandatory Reporting

Event Organization

HTML+CSS, LaTeX, DaVinci Resolve

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