Abhaya Induruwa Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Professor
Abhaya Induruwa
Native Name:Sinhala; Sinhalese: '''මහාචාර්ය අභය ඉඳුරුව'''
Birth Place:Dalugama, Kelaniya Sri Lanka
Nationality:Sri Lankan
Known For:Pioneering Internet & Academic and Research Networking (LEARN) in Sri Lanka
Awards:Fellow of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (2003)
Internet Hall of Fame (2014)
Internet Pioneers Award at the 20th Anniversary of Internet in Sri Lanka (2015)
Zero-One Life Time Achievement Award of Sri Lanka Telecom (2017)
LEARN Pioneer Award at the 30th Anniversary of LEARN (2019)
Education:Nalanda College, Colombo
University of Sri Lanka, Katubedda Campus
Imperial College London
Occupation:Endowed Professor (Sri Lanka) and Director, Cyber Innovation Hub (CCCU - UK)

Abhaya Induruwa (Sinhala; Sinhalese: '''අභය ඉඳුරුව''') is the inaugural Professor V K Samaranayake Endowed Professor of Computing, University of Colombo School of Computing, Sri Lanka. Having served as the Director of Cyber Innovation Hub he recently retired from the Canterbury Christ Church University in the United Kingdom where he researched into security and forensic investigation of Internet of Things (IoT). Currently he is engaged in promoting IoT in digital agriculture as a disruptive technology, primarily in developing countries, leading to smart agriculture resulting in higher yields in food production. Induruwa is considered the father of Internet in Sri Lanka.[1] [2]

Education

After spending three years of his early primary education at Kahagolla Madya 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.

Professional career

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 (Lanka Education and Research Network),[3] 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.

Induruwa is a founding member of the Internet Society (ISOC - Kobe, 1992) and a member of the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter.[5] [6] He serves as a Member of the Advisory Group of the Asia Internet History project, and is a contributing author.[7] 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.[8] 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[9] - the first IP WAN in Sri Lanka [10] Induruwa was inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame 2014,[11] [12] [13] [14] an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society. Recognising his significant contribution to the development of networking and Internet in Sri Lanka 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. For his exceptional contribution to the digital arena Prof Induruwa received a Life Time Achievement Award from Sri Lanka Telecom in June 2017. In October 2019, at the 30th anniversary celebrations of LEARN, he received the LEARN Founder Award from H E Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka, for proposing in 1989 the conceptual design for an academic and research network in Sri Lanka, and implementing the same between 1990-1995, finally connecting to the Internet in 1996.

Prof Induruwa served on the Internet Hall of Fame Advisory Board from 2016 until 2018. From 2016 to 2019 he served as a Member of the General Assembly of the European Cybercrime Education and Training Group (ECTEG) of the Europol. In 2018 he served as an Expert on Cybercrime to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on their Education for Justice (E4J) project. In 2019 he served as an Expert to the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BelSPO) to evaluate project proposals under BRAIN-BE 2.0 (Belgian Research Action Through Interdisciplinary Networks).

Life Time Achievement Awards

2003 - Honorary Fellow of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka recognizing the distinguished services to the ICT education and ICT profession in Sri Lanka

2014 - Internet Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award of the Internet Society (ISOC) for pioneering IP networking and Internet in Sri Lanka

2015 - Internet Pioneers Award of the Internet Society-Sri Lanka (ISOC-LK) Chapter celebrating 20 years of Internet in Sri Lanka

2017 - Sri Lanka Telecom Zero-One Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contribution to the digital arena

2019 - LEARN Founder Award for proposing, designing and implementing academic and research networking, and pioneering Internet in Sri Lanka

Recent published work

Keynotes and public lectures

Interviews

Sources

Notes and References

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd6XpAxHGMs/ Interview with Prof Abhaya Induruwa, Father of Internet in Sri Lanka
  2. https://www.ict-history.lk/en/ History of ICT in Sri Lanka - Spanning the Years
  3. Web site: A proposal to set up a Lankan Experimental Academic and Research Network (LEARN), April 1989.
  4. Web site: LEARN Internet - A (modified) Proposal to Introduce Internet Services to the Academic and Research Community in Sri Lanka, January 1992.
  5. https://www.isoc.lk/ Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter
  6. Web site: ISoc Sri Lanka Felicitates Prof Abhaya Induruwa. https://web.archive.org/web/20141020123856/http://www.isoc.lk/news-a-events/37-latest-news/117-isoc-lk-felicitated-prof-abhaya-induruwa.html. 20 October 2014.
  7. https://sites.google.com/site/internethistoryasia/ Asia Internet History Project
  8. Web site: Abhaya Induruwa - BCS Fellow Case Study.
  9. http://www.ac.lk/home/ LEARN
  10. Web site: IESL Directory of Seminal Publications 1923 - 2011 . 30 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130917190919/http://iesl.ceylonhost.com/IESL_publications/Electronics%20%26%20Telecommunications%20Engineering/Radio%20%26%20Telecommunication%20Engineering/ . 17 September 2013 . dead . dmy-all .
  11. http://internethalloffame.org/inductees/abhaya-induruwa/ Prof Abhaya Induruwa - Internet Hall of Fame Inductee
  12. http://digit.lk/sri-lankas-internet-pioneer-prof-abhaya-induruwa-inducted-into-the-internet-hall-of-fame/ DiGiT Interview with Prof Abhaya Induruwa
  13. https://www.flickr.com/photos/gihandias/sets/72157644142669553/ Felicitation Ceremony organised by the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter on 16 April 2014
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgnPAHmc-8/ Felicitating Prof Abhaya Induruwa for being inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame: Ceremony organised by the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter on 16 April 2014
  15. Book: Developing and Monitoring Smart Environments for Intelligent Cities. 9781799850625. 2020. IGI Global.
  16. Web site: Asia Internet History Projects - Fourth Decade.
  17. Web site: Asia Internet History Projects - Fourth Decade.
  18. Book: Security Vulnerabilities of Popular Smart Home Appliances. 9781612088372. 18 April 2021. 13–19.
  19. https://iesl.lk/index.php?option=com_eventdisplay&view=events&event_id=576&Itemid=122&lang=en/ IESL World Engineering Day 2022 - Programme
  20. https://www.readme.lk/events/lanka-experimental-academic-and-research-network-learn-30-year-anniversary/ Lanka Experimental Academic and Research Network (LEARN) 30- year anniversary, README,7 October, 2019
  21. https://www.businessnews.lk/blog/2019/10/08/30th-anniversary-of-lanka-education-research-network-learn-was-held-under-presidents-patronage/ 30th Anniversary of Lanka Education & Research Network (LEARN) was held under President’s patronage, Business News Online, 8 October, 2019
  22. https://www.readme.lk/3-decades-later-the-future-of-learn/ The future of LEARN: Reflecting on 3 decades of networking, README, 15 October 2017
  23. http://www.dailymirror.lk/business-news/LEARN-turns-30-The-evolution-of-Sri-Lankas-1st-wide-area-network/273-177549/ LEARN turns 30: The evolution of Sri Lanka's 1st wide area network, Daily Mirror Online, 9 November 2019
  24. https://www.dailynews.lk/2019/11/26/finance/203834/sri-lanka%E2%80%99s-1st-wide-area-network-learn-turns-30?page=12/ Sri Lanka’s 1st Wide Area Network LEARN turns 30, Daily News e-Paper, 26 November 2019
  25. http://businesstoday.lk/article.php?article=12837/ LEARN Celebrates 30th Anniversary, Business Today, November 2019
  26. http://thesundayreader.lk/2019/09/11/prominent-researchers-attend-kdu-international-research-conference/ Prominent researchers attend KDU International Research Conference
  27. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=168015/ SLT holds industry forum on cyber security, The Island Online, July 9, 2017
  28. http://www.dailynews.lk/2017/07/11/business/121497/slt-holds-industry-forum-cyber-security/ SLT holds industry forum on cyber security, Daily News e-Paper, July 11, 2017
  29. http://www.ft.lk/technology/slt-holds-industry-forum-on-cyber-security/25-629459/ SLT holds industry forum on cyber security, Daily FT, July 19, 2017
  30. https://businesstoday.lk/article.php?article=11498/ SLT Holds Forum On Cyber Security, Business Today.lk, August 2017
  31. http://www.ft.lk/article/436213/Sri-Lanka-/ Sri Lanka celebrates 20 years of internet, Daily FT, 23 June 2015
  32. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/business-news/thakral-one-singapore-hails-internet-society-for-recognizing-sri-lankan-technology-pioneers/273-79795/ Thakral One Singapore hails Internet Society for recognizing Sri Lankan technology pioneers, Daily Mirror Business News, 16 July 2015
  33. https://www.readme.lk/peek-dark-side-internet/ A peek into the dark side of the internet, README, 6 October 2013
  34. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6075014/ International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer), 2011, DOI:10.1109/ICTer.2011.6075014