The Colombo ACM SIGCHI Chapter is proud to announce the launch of the CHI 2027 Mentorship Programme — a flagship initiative that pairs emerging Sri Lankan researchers and practitioners with leading Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) mentors to co-develop and submit original research to CHI 2027, the premier international venue for HCI.
Led by Dr. Dilrukshi Gamage, Chair of the Colombo ACM SIGCHI Chapter (University of Colombo School of Computing), the programme is designed to bridge the gap between local talent and the global HCI research community. Over four months, mentees commit five to eight hours each week to reading groups, writing workshops, and one-on-one mentorship, working steadily toward the CHI 2027 paper submission deadline on 10 September 2026.
Publishing at CHI is a defining milestone in an HCI researcher’s journey. By offering structured guidance, peer support, and access to experienced mentors, the Chapter hopes to make that milestone attainable for talent here in Sri Lanka — and to strengthen a vibrant, inclusive research community that connects our region to the world.
Meet the mentors
We are deeply grateful to our five mentors, who bring world-class expertise across the breadth of HCI:
- Lakmal Meegahapola — Research Scientist, Nokia Bell Labs — mobile and wearable sensing, machine learning, and HCI for digital health.
- Anusha Withana — Associate Professor (HCI), University of Sydney — wearable and haptic interfaces, and human augmentation.
- Senuri Wijenayake — Senior Lecturer in HCI, RMIT University — social computing, online safety, and inclusive design.
- Yasith Samaradivakara — PhD Candidate, MIT Media Lab — wearable AI for augmented human cognition.
- Madhuka De Silva — Postdoc, Monash University — accessibility, inclusive design, and data visualisation.
The 2026 cohort
Following a competitive selection process, the Chapter is delighted to introduce our inaugural cohort of five mentees and the projects they will pursue:
- Barathakanthan Rajkumar (Insighture), mentored by Lakmal Meegahapola, is studying cloud outages as a human and workflow sustainability challenge in AI-assisted software development.
- Sarani Mendis (WSO2), mentored by Anusha Withana, is designing multi-sensory access to Sri Lankan temple murals for blind and low-vision visitors.
- Dasuni Ganepola (General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University), mentored by Senuri Wijenayake and Lakmal Meegahapola, is investigating anchoring bias in human–AI complementary decision-making.
- Sandul Wickramasooriya (Independent Researcher), mentored by Yasith Samaradivakara, is exploring photographs as behavioural data for understanding daily routines and wellbeing.
- Tharindu Piyasena (SLIIT), mentored by Madhuka De Silva, is working on accessible, universal voting for differently-abled citizens in Sri Lanka.
The road ahead
The programme begins in June 2026 with kick-off and mentor matching, continues with reading groups and writing workshops through July and August, and culminates in the CHI 2027 submission in September. Along the way, mentees will sharpen their research questions, methods, and academic writing — skills that will serve them well beyond a single paper.
We warmly congratulate our mentees, thank our mentors for their generosity and time, and look forward to sharing the cohort’s progress in the months ahead.
Get involved
Interested in mentoring a future cohort, partnering with us, or learning more about the programme? We would love to hear from you. Reach the Colombo ACM SIGCHI Chapter at colombosigchi@gmail.com, and visit colombosigchi.acm.org for updates.
The Colombo ACM SIGCHI Chapter fosters Human–Computer Interaction research, education, and community in Sri Lanka. Follow us as our mentees work toward CHI 2027.