Dr. Ananda D. Gunawardena

Department of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Av., Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Office: Gates 6005 | Phone: (412) 268-1559 | Fax: (412) 268-5573
Email: guna [at] cs [dot] cmu [dot] edu
Assistant: Barbara Grandillo, Gates 6010, (412) 268-7550

Currently at Princeton University. Continuing collaborations with CMU.
Focus: Enhancing learning through technology and AI-driven platforms.

Patents

• Media annotation and visualization patent at Carnegie Mellon: Patent Link
• Machine Learning based Semantic segmentation patent at Princeton (2020) Patent Link
• Ongoing IP: Novel clustering methods for video segmentation

Teaching Interests

Algorithms, Data Science, Discrete Math, Numerical Computing, C/Unix Programming, Pen Computing, Learning Sciences Integration. Funded by HP, NSF, Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Google.

Research Interests

Computational Linear Algebra, Machine Learning, HCI, Intelligent Learning Systems, Pen Computing, Classroom Salon, Adaptive Book Project

Companies Co-Founded

TextCentric, Inc - Technology sold to Pearson Publishing
Classroom Salon - CMU Startup - sold to Public Company GTII in 2022
CUbits.ai - Princeton AI startup for upskilling and reskilling

News & Highlights

• Asian Influence Molds Old Steel Town
• Students Replace Books with Tablet PCs
• Exceptional Achievement Award
• South Fayette Flashcard Innovation
• Can Social Networks Save Students?

Education

• B.Sc (honors) in Mathematics Special
• M.S in Computer Science
• Ph.D in Computational Mathematics

Textbooks Authored

• Interactive Linear Algebra
  
• Chinese Version
  
• Linear Algebra – An Interactive Approach
  
• Notes on C and Linux (2018)
  

Employment History

• Associate Professor,Teaching, CMU (1998–)
• Adjunct Faculty, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
• Assistant/Associate Professor, University of Houston (1989–1997)
• Chief Scientist, TextCentric Technologies & Laksoft Technologies

Research Projects

• Adaptive Book Project
• Tablet Math Whiz
• CLO Project
• PRAGMA
• Blue Map
• Classroom Salon

Affiliations

• Board Member - Classroom Salon, TextCentric, Wireless Neighborhoods
• Advisory roles - SC-COSMIC-Rice University, University of Colombo School of Computing, CIO Forum
• Editorial Board - JIITO, Interational Journal on Online Learning Innovations
• Keynotes - Pen Computing 2009, Meta-2022, NJ-AI Hub-2024, TCNJ-2024

Personal Interests

Originally from Sri Lanka. Now a Proud American.
Sri Lanka Documentary
University Sports Memories
Randy Pausch: Life Lessons
Malini Fonseka Visit to CMU and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Buddhist Center

Family

My wife Sriya Gunawardena is a Physician and Associate Professor at University of Pittsburgh, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist.
We have two daughters: Naomi and Naoka.