Kanishka Gunawardana

Computer Engineering Researcher

Neuromorphic Computing | Computer Architecture | Embedded Systems | Hardware-Software Co-Design

My research focuses on advancing hardware–software co-design for AI/ML workloads, drawing inspiration from neuromorphic computing principles to transcend conventional architectural boundaries and achieve unprecedented levels of computational efficiency and intelligent processing.

View Curriculum Vitae View Academic Transcript

Research Focus

Exploring the intersection of computer architecture, neuromorphic computing, and intelligent systems for next-generation computing platforms.

Computer Architecture

RISC-V System-on-Chip Hardware Acceleration

Designing efficient processor architectures and custom accelerators. Recent work includes RISC-V SoC design with neuromorphic acceleration for small-scale applications.

Embedded Systems

IoT Real-time Systems Wearable Tech

Creating intelligent embedded solutions for real-world applications.

Neuromorphic Computing

Brain-inspired Computing Spiking Neural Networks Edge AI

Developing brain-inspired computing systems for edge applications with the PeraMorphIQ research group. Focus on configurable neuromorphic accelerators and on-chip learning capabilities.

Education

Academic journey with exceptional performance in computer engineering and mathematics at the national level.

University of Peradeniya

Nov. 2021 – Present

Computer Engineering B.Sc. Engineering (Hons.) First Class

Undergraduate in B.Sc. Engineering (Hons.) Computer Engineering

Current GPA: 4.0/4.0
Field Rank: 1st out of 90 students

Academic Transcript

Dharmaraja College Kandy

Nov. 2006 – Aug. 2019

G.C.E. Advanced Level Mathematics Stream Top 150 Nationally

G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination with outstanding performance

Z-score: 2.5661
National Rank: 149 out of 19,508
District Rank: 11 out of 1,189

Featured Projects

Highlighting significant contributions to research and development in computer engineering.

RISC-V SoC with Neuromorphic Acceleration for SNNs (FYP)

Nov. 2024 - Present

Final Year Project RISC-V Neuromorphic SoC FPGA

Developing a neuromorphic SoC for small-scale SNNs, featuring a configurable neuromorphic accelerator with on-chip learning, tailored for low-power edge applications.

Supervision: Dr. Isuru Nawinne, Prof. Roshan G. Ragel

GitHub Website

RV32IM Pipeline Processor

Dec. 2024 - Apr. 2025

Academic Project RISC-V CPU Design Pipelining

Designing and implementing a CPU supporting the RISC-V 32IM instruction set architecture with a 5-stage pipelined design, focusing on high efficiency and accurate instruction execution.

GitHub Website

Impact Tracking System For Athletes (3YP)

Nov. 2023 - Mar. 2024

Third Year Project IoT Wearable Tech AWS

Developed a real-time head impact monitoring system for contact sports using wearable devices and desktop dashboards, facilitating prompt concussion identification, post-session data transmission, and comprehensive analytics for player safety.

Contributions: Designed wearable hardware and firmware, established centralized hub and network, contributed to backend API and AWS deployment.

GitHub Website

Field-Based Approach for Quantifying Plant Leaf Color

Aug. 2023 - Nov. 2023

Computer Vision Deep Learning Mask R-CNN FastAPI

Developed a mobile application with a backend that utilizes Image Processing and Computer Vision to objectively quantify plant leaf colour by analyzing information extracted from captured leaf images using Mask R-CNN segmentation.

GitHub Website

Obstacle Robot Swarm for Swarm Robotic Project

Feb. 2024 - Nov. 2023

Robotics Swarm Intelligence Arduino Computer Vision

Leading the development and firmware update of obstacle robots with collision avoidance algorithms for the swarm robotics platform. Integrating obstacle robots with the existing swarm platform, enabling studies of dynamic obstacle scenarios.

GitHub Website

8-bit Single-cycle Processor

Mar. 2023 - Jun. 2023

Verilog-HDL Processor Design MIPS Hardware

Designed and implemented an 8-bit single-cycle processor architecture in Verilog HDL to emulate a MIPS inspired ISA, enabling functionality for arithmetic, logic, data transfer, and control flow operations. Built comprehensive testbench for verification.

GitHub

Digital Reporting Platform for Technical Visits

May 2024 – Present

Group Project NLP Clustering Python TensorFlow

Developing web and mobile applications for documenting technical service visits with real-time reporting, approval workflows, and comprehensive analytics. The mobile app is utilized by technicians, while the web app is accessed by administrators to enhance task management and oversight.

Contributions: Optimizing the technician selection process for specific tasks using user-provided data through Natural Language Processing, Clustering and Searching techniques.

GitHub Website

Department Space Management System

Mar. 2023 – Jun. 2023

Group Project Spring Boot React.js MySQL

Developed a web application using Spring Boot and React for efficient reservation management of shared spaces in a university department, including waiting list functionality and user hierarchy for access control.

Contributions: Developed the backend API using Spring Boot and integrated MySQL database for efficient data management and retrieval.

GitHub Website

Database for Cricket Statistics

Mar. 2023 – Jun. 2023

Group Project Node.js React.js MySQL WebSocket

Designed and developed CricLive, a comprehensive database for cricket statistics, enabling users to store, manage, and analyze data on players, teams, and matches with real-time updates and interactive visualizations.

GitHub Website

Recognition & Achievements

Awards and recognitions that reflect excellence in academics, research, and competitive programming.

SLIot Challenge 2023

Mar. 2024 | Team: IMPAX

1st Runners-up
Sri Lanka's biggest IoT competition
(100+ teams)

Organized by University of Moratuwa with SLT-MOBITEL and IESL

IEEEXtreme 17.0

Nov. 2023 | Team: Five4Five

Global Rank 374
24-hour programming competition
(16,500+ participants)

National Rank 24 (Out of 330 Teams)

MoraXtreme 8.0

Nov. 2023 | Team: Five4Five

4th Place National
12-hour algorithmic programming
(400+ teams)

IEEE Student Branch, University of Moratuwa

ACES Coders v10.0

Oct. 2023 | Team: Five4Five

12th Place National
12-hour algorithmic programming
(350+ participants)

ACES, University of Peradeniya

ACES PreCoders v10.0

Sep. 2023 | Team: Five4Five

2nd Place University
6-hour algorithmic programming
(50+ teams)

ACES Hackathon 2023

Sep. 2023 | Team: LearnLink

Participant
Inter-university hackathon
ACES organized

LearnLink - Online marketplace for books

Professional Experience

Academic and industry experience in computer engineering, research, and software development.

Temporary Instructor

University of Peradeniya | 2024 - Present

Teaching Research Mentoring Computer Architecture

Teaching computer architecture and embedded systems courses to undergraduate students. Mentoring research teams on neuromorphic accelerators and on-chip learning capabilities. Contributing to curriculum development and academic research initiatives.

Software Engineering Intern

WSO2 LLC | 2024

Ballerina API Integration OpenAI

Developed Ballerina integrations including the OpenAI Finetunes Connector and ISO20022-to-SwiftMT message conversion systems. Worked on enterprise-level software solutions and API integrations for cloud-native applications.

Research Assistant

PeraMorphIQ Research Group | 2024 - Present

Neuromorphic Computing Hardware Design Edge AI

Contributing to cutting-edge research in neuromorphic computing and brain-inspired hardware architectures. Developing configurable neuromorphic accelerators for edge applications and investigating on-chip learning algorithms.

Head of Web Development

Robotics Society, University of Peradeniya | 2022 - 2023

Leadership Web Development Team Management

Led the web development team for the university's robotics society. Managed website development projects, organized technical workshops, and coordinated with cross-functional teams for robotics competitions and events.

Publications & Research

Contributions to the scientific community through peer-reviewed publications and ongoing research work.

JPEG Encoding Optimization through Pipelined MPSoC Architecture

IEEE ICAC 2024 Conference Paper Hardware Acceleration

Authors: Kanishka Gunawardana; Chandula Adhikari; Isuru Nawinne
Conference: IEEE International Conference on Advanced Computing (ICAC) 2024
Abstract: This paper presents a novel pipelined multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) design that significantly improves JPEG encoding throughput through custom hardware instructions and architectural optimizations implemented on an Altera Cyclone IV FPGA.

View Paper IEEE Xplore