University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Dr. Ragel was appointed a Senior Lecturer in Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya in December 2007 and has been a Professor since October 2017. He has been a Professional Member of the IEEE and IEEE Computer Society since 2005 and a Senior Member since 2014. He was a visiting research scholar at the UNSW – Sydney many times, QUT – Brisbane, UIUC – Illinois, and ANU – Canberra once each.
Prof Ragel has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles on Internet of Things, Wearable Computing, Bioinformatics, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. He has won several best paper awards in conference papers, the most prolific Sri Lankan author award from Elsevier Research in 2017, and the Presidential award for scientific publication in Sri Lanka in 2018 and 2023. He was also named the top scientist in computer science in Sri Lanka by the AD Scientific Index in 2021 and 2022 and the best computer scientist in the country from 2023 to 2025. He also won the National Educator Gold Awards 2024 for Computing, given to the best in each field of the Higher Education sector.
Prof Ragel received the 2025 IEEE Computer Society Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award, the first academic to receive this award from the Global South. This prestigious honor recognizes his outstanding contributions to undergraduate education through innovative teaching, impactful research, and dedicated service, fostering an inclusive community of experiential mentorship for undergraduates in Sri Lanka.
Prof Ragel has been the consulting chief executive officer at the Lanka Research and Education Network (LEARN), the national NREN, since 2017. With his involvement, LEARN was able to step up for a significant milestone by launching the Asi@Connect Project in Sri Lanka in 2017, which brought many opportunities for the LEARN Research and Education (R&E) network community to get involved in utilising the project resources and funds. He has represented Sri Lanka in the Asi@Connect Governors meeting and has been a Council Member of Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) since 2017. Since 2020, he is also the Vice-Chair of the Asi@Connect Steering Committee. With COVID-19 lockdowns, LEARN is helping the university community in the country connect and engage in productive research and education activities online.
At the National level, Prof Ragel was a Core Group member for Higher Education at the Presidential Task Force for Education, which was established in 2020. He is a member of the UGC Standing Committee on the Development of IT Infrastructure and Online Education and the UGC-appointed committee to develop the Concept of Virtual / Hybrid University. He also served as a member of the Presidential Committee to Formulate the AI Strategy for Sri Lanka, a committee formulated with the advancement of Generative AI. He also worked with ICTA Sri Lanka to steer the AI Sri Lanka initiative, leading the Skills and Curricula pillar. He is also a founder of the AI Forum for Academics (AIFA). This academic syndicate explores the opportunities and challenges of GenAI in Higher education based at the University of Peradeniya.
Major Positions
Director, Staff Development Centre
University of Peradeniya · Aug 2025 – To date
Senior Treasurer, ACES – Association of Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Jul 2025 – To date
Deputy Director, Multidisciplinary AI Research Centre
University of Peradeniya · Jun 2025 – To date & Jan 2024 – May 2025
Professor, Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Oct 2017 – To date
Consultant (CEO), Lanka Education and Research Network (LEARN)
Jan 2017 – To date
Asi@Connect Project (TEIN*CC)
Jan 2017 – To date
Chairperson, Continuation Education & Extension Education (Standing Committee, AAUP)
University of Peradeniya · Jan 2025 – To date
Subject Editor, Editorial Board – National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka
Jun 2025 – To date
Member, Standing Committee on Computing – University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka
Apr 2022 – Mar 2025
Head of Department, Department of Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Apr 2022 – Mar 2025
Senior Lecturer, Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Dec 2007 – Oct 2017
Visiting Fellow (Research)
University of New South Wales · 2008–2018 (multiple visits)
May–Aug 2008 · Sep–Dec 2009 · Jun–Aug 2011 · Feb–Aug 2012 · Feb–May 2014 · Oct–Dec 2016 · Nov–Dec 2017 · May–Aug 2018
Director, Internet and Communication Services Unit (ICSU)
University of Peradeniya · Feb 2010 – Apr 2011 & May 2013 – Dec 2014
Acting Head, Department of Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Aug 2007 – Jan 2008
Visiting Research Fellow, Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) · Apr 2005 – May 2005
PhD Student, Computer Science and Engineering
University of New South Wales · Feb 2003 – Aug 2006
Lecturer, Computer Engineering
University of Peradeniya · Dec 2002 – Dec 2007
Educational Qualifications
PhD in Computer Science and Engineering
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Doctoral research in computer science and engineering.
BSc Engineering (Hons)
University of Peradeniya
Bachelor of Science in Engineering with Honours.
Research Interests
Embedded Systems
Advanced research in embedded systems design, development, and optimization for various applications.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT systems architecture, connected devices, and smart technology solutions.
Accelerated Computing
Hardware and software acceleration techniques for high-performance computing applications.
Reliability and Security
System reliability, security mechanisms, and protection against vulnerabilities in computing systems.
Computational Biology
Applying computational methods to biological research and bioinformatics challenges.
Micro-architectural Aspects of Embedded Systems Design & Security
Low-level design considerations and security implications in embedded system architectures.
Side-Channel Attacks and Countermeasures
Research on side-channel vulnerabilities and developing effective countermeasures for secure systems.
Application-Specific Processor Design
Custom processor architectures designed for specific computational tasks and applications.
Hardware/Software Acceleration of Bio-informatics Algorithms
Accelerating bioinformatics computations through specialized hardware and optimized software implementations.
Awards and Honours
2025 IEEE Computer Society Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award
2025
First academic from the Global South to receive this prestigious international award.
The National Educator Gold Awards 2024 for Computing
2024
Recognized as the best educator in Computing in the Higher Education sector.
Best Scientist in CS in the Country
2023-2025 · AD Scientific Index
Named best computer scientist in Sri Lanka from 2023 to 2025.
Top Scientist in Computer Science in Sri Lanka
2021 & 2022 · AD Scientific Index
Recognized as top scientist in computer science in Sri Lanka for two consecutive years.
Tier 4* Awardee for Research Excellence
2020 · University of Peradeniya
Under the Transparent Research Performance Scheme introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) Sri Lanka.
Faculty Research Excellence Award
2018 · Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya
Recognized for outstanding research contributions within the faculty.
Presidential Awards for Scientific Publications
2018 & 2023
Awarded twice for exceptional contributions to scientific research and publication in Sri Lanka.
The Scopus Most Prolific Sri Lankan Author
2011-2016 · May 2017
Recognized by MOSTR, COSTi and Elsevier Research as the most prolific Sri Lankan author.
Best Paper Award - ICIAfS 2014
The 7th International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability · Colombo, Sri Lanka
Awarded for outstanding research paper presentation.
e-Swabhinami 2012 Award
e-Science & Technology Category · 2012
For the project titled "Open-source Framework for Lead Identification in Drug Design".
Best Paper Award - ICIAfS 2012
The 6th International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability · Beijing, China
Recognized for excellent research contribution.
Won the First Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property Essay Competition in Sri Lanka
2012
Organized by School of Law at University of New Hampshire.
Best Student Paper Award for ICT & Social Transformation Track
The 5th International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability (ICIAfS2010)
Awarded for outstanding student paper presentation.
Grants
National Research and Education Network Needs Assessment
€36,300 · Asi@Connect project from EU · 2021
Funding for assessing and developing national research and education network infrastructure.
Technology Enabled Active Learning Environment (TEAL 2.0)
€999,091 · Erasmus+ from EU · 2020-2022
Improving Access to Science and Technology Higher Education in Resource-Poor Institutions through an Open Platform for Technology Enabled Active Learning Environment (TEAL 2.0). The project will be carried out by a consortium of the following eleven universities and the European Center for Quality: UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA – Sri Lanka, UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA – Sri Lanka, SLT CAMPUS (PVT) LTD – Sri Lanka, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ALLAHABAD – India, RK UNIVERSITY – India, VELLORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TRUST-VIT UNIVERSITY – India, ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Thailand, NARESUAN UNIVERSITY – Thailand, UNIVERSITATEA TRANSILVANIA DIN BRASOV – Rumania, ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA – Italy, UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGER – Norway, and EUROPEAN CENTER FOR QUALITY OOD – Bulgaria.
IPv6, DNS/DNSSEC, and Network Security Enhancement
€150,000 · Asi@Connect project from EU · 2019-2021
Uplifting Resources to Deploy IPv6, DNS/DNSSEC, identity access management and monitoring of the network performance and its security. The activities are (1) Host Workshops in Bhutan, Laos and Sri Lanka to train NREN technical people on IPv6, DNS/DNSSEC and monitoring of the network performance and security, and (2) Collaborative effort by LEARN, Royal University Bhutan, LERNET-Laos and APNIC. Prospective target countries: Laos, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Vietnam.