Meet Sri Lankan Researcher — Maneesha Perera

What are you currently working on or worked on before?

Currently, I am doing my PhD at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with IBM Research Australia. My research work is primarily focused on time series forecasting techniques. In particular, I look into the area of renewable energy and implementing forecasting techniques to improve the forecasting process of rooftop solar photovoltaic power generation. I work with time-series data and statistical/ machine learning forecasting techniques.

Here’s a quick overview of the importance of this research domain I am working in:

Distributed renewable energy sources like rooftop solar photovoltaic systems have gained a huge interest in recent years (especially due to the interest for low carbon technologies). In Australia, there are more than 1.8 million residential photovoltaic systems. These systems help households reduce their power bills. However, the integration of distributed energy sources causes great challenges in managing the electricity gird. One way to overcome these challenges is to accurately forecast the power generation of distributed energy sources like rooftop solar photovoltaics. Therefore, there’s great interest in this area of research and many researchers are conducting research in this domain.

What encouraged you to pursue your research topic?

To be honest, I had very little knowledge of the current research topic when I decided to pursue a PhD. However, I always had a great interest in working in an impactful and data-driven research domain with industry collaboration.

What is the name of your current institute?

The University of Melbourne and IBM Research Australia

Where do you find your best inspiration for your work?

I find inspiration to do impactful research from my experiences and fellow researchers.

Can you share with us some of your publications?

Please refer to my Google Scholar profile for publications.

What’s one of your biggest personal achievements so far?

I wouldn’t name a specific achievement as my biggest personal achievement so far. I believe that everything I achieved and experienced so far in my life has great importance and value for me.

What lessons would you share with a budding researcher?

1. Be curious to find new knowledge.

2. Don’t be afraid of failure.

3. Be open to feedback and criticism — don’t be disheartened.

4. Ask questions — always!

5. Be open to collaborating with others.

6. Always be respectful towards fellow researchers and every research domain.

What motivated you to be a researcher?

I believe my interest in exploring new avenues in life, and the people around me motivated me to be a researcher.

If there is a chance, will you help build research in Sri Lanka?

Yes definitely. I’d be happy to!

According to your opinion, what are the changes that the Sri Lankan education system needs to do, in order to meet the requirement of the international industry and academia?

1. The Sri Lankan education system should be framed in a way that students are encouraged to ask questions from teachers/ lecturers. This is something that should start from the school level.

2. Education should be more practical rather than book-oriented. In which memorising the content wouldn’t get you high marks instead understanding the concept would.

3. Local universities should collaborate more with international universities to do research. Exchange programs are ideal if possible which will give local students the opportunity to get international experiences.