Abhaya Induruwa

Professor Abhaya Induruwa
Professor Abhaya Induruwa delivering Internet Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech [1]
Born	1950 Dalugama, Kelaniya Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Education	Nalanda College, Colombo University of Sri Lanka, Katubedda Campus Imperial College London
Occupation	Professor (Sri Lanka) and Programme Director (UK)
Employer	University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka and Canterbury Christ Church University
Known for	Pioneer of Internet in Sri Lanka

Abhaya Induruwa is the inaugural Professor V K Samaranayake Endowed Professor of Computing, University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka. Currently he also serves as the Program Director for PhD research and post graduate teaching in the School of Law, Criminal Justice and Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University in the United Kingdom where he leads research into security and forensic investigation of Internet of Things (IoT). Professor Induruwa is considered the father of Internet in Sri Lanka.^[2]

Education

After spending three years of his early primary education at Kahagolla Maha Vidyalaya, Diyatalawa, he was admitted to Nalanda College, Colombo from where he proceeded to the University of Sri Lanka, Katubedda Campus. He is the first student to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering since the inception of the University of Sri Lanka, Katubedda Campus, and is the recipient of the Prof Om Prakash Kulshreshtha award for the Best Electrical and Electronic Engineering student in 1975. In September 1976 he proceeded to Imperial College London and in January 1980 he was awarded PhD from the University of London for his research on Computer Simulation Techniques in Power Systems Planning. His research supervisor was Emeritus Professor Brian J. Cory.

Academic career

Professor Induruwa founded the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Moratuwa in 1985, the first and the only department of its kind in a Sri Lankan university, and served as its Head until 1998.

In 1989 he pioneered and served as the Principal Investigator of project LEARN ^[3] (Lanka Experimental Academic and Research Network), which he developed into the academic Internet in Sri Lanka .^[4] He obtained funds from the Sri Lankan government and other well wishers, commissioned staff and resources, provided technical and managerial leadership, and led the project LEARN to completion in 1995. He also administered the .LK domain since its first registration in 1990 until 1998.

Professor Induruwa is a founding member of the Internet Society (ISOC - Kobe, 1992) and a member of the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter.^[5] He is a contributing author to the Asia Internet History project.^[6]

He is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK, Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, and a Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society.^[7]

CSSL Newsletter, April 2014

Professor Induruwa is a founding member of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (1976). In recognition of his services to computer education and IT industry in Sri Lanka the Honorary Fellowship of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka was conferred on him in 2003.

In recognition of his signal contribution to the growth, connectivity, and use of the Internet in Sri Lanka, and for pioneering LEARN^[8] - the first IP WAN in Sri Lanka ^[9] - Professor Induruwa was inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame 2014,^[10][11][12] an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society. Recognising his significant contribution to the development of networking and Internet in Sri Lanka Professor Induruwa was honoured by the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter with an Internet Pioneers Award at the celebration of 20 years of Internet in Sri Lanka in June 2015.

Recent Keynotes and Public Lectures

• "Internet of Everything: How Secure Should It Be?", Keynote Speech delivered at the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Research in Computational Intelligence and Communication Networks ("ICRCICN 2015". ), 20-22 November 2015, Kolkata, India.
• "A (brief) Moment in Internet History", Address delivered at the 20 Years of Internet in Sri Lanka, 8 June 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• "Making and Breaking the Internet", Guest Speaker at the "Engineers Australia WA" (PDF). , 18 December 2014, Perth, Australia.
• "Distributed Computation: Its impact on Network Security and Forensics", Keynote Speech delivered at the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Communication Networks, 14-16 November 2014, Kolkata, India.
• "ICT for Inclusive Development of Sri Lanka beyond 2020", Keynote Speech delivered at the 32nd National IT Conference of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka, 26-27 August 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• "Intelligent Future", Seventh Annual Professor V K Samarnayake Memorial Oration delivered at the University of Colombo School of Computing, 23 July 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• "The Internet: Where is it taking us?", Presentation at the felicitation ceremony organized by the Internet Society, Sri Lanka Chapter.". DiGIT Magazine. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014. 
• "The Dark Side of the Internet", Presentation at the public lecture sponsored by the Computer Society of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Internet Society, Sri Lanka Chapter". DiGIT Magazine. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013. 
• "Hidden in the Clouds: Impact on Data Security and Forensic Investigation", Keynote Speech delivered at the International Conference on ICT for Emerging Regions, 1-2 September 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• "Cyberwar - How Real is the Threat?", Keynote Speech delivered at the 29th National IT Conference of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka, 24-25 August 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Interviews

• "Prof Abhaya Induruwa: In-depth interviews at ISOC Hall of Fame 2014.". Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University, North Carolina. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014. 
• "Interview with Prof Abhaya Induruwa, Father of Internet in Sri Lanka". DiGIT Magazine. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014. 
• "2014 Historic Profile Series: Abhaya Induruwa". Internet Hall Fame. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014. 
• "Interview with Prof Abhaya Induruwa, on Induction to the Internet Hall of Fame". DiGIT Magazine. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014. 
• "We cannot escape from the technological pull by the developed world - Prof Abhaya Induruwa" (PDF). Business Today. July 1999. 

References

Sources

• "Sri Lanka celebrates 20 years of Internet". Daily FT. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015. 
• "Moratuwa University Computer Science Dept. turns 25". Sunday Observer. 7 February 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2011. 
• "CSE'2003 Conference Program". University of Moratuwa. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 16 April 2011. 

• Interview with Prof Abhaya Induruwa, Father of Internet in Sri Lanka