Biography
Dr T. Mukunthan received his B.Sc.Eng(Hons) in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Moratuwa in 2014, and his PhD in Vision, Speech, and Signal Processing from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom in 2023. He is currently serving as a Senior Lecturer (Gr II) at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Jaffna.
His research lies at the intersection of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), AIoT, and intelligent systems, with a strong application focus on healthcare diagnostics, smart grids and renewable energy systems. His work emphasises trustworthy AI, data-driven decision-making, and digital transformation of critical infrastructure.
He has contributed as a consultant to several projects, including serving as an AI and Digital infrastructure consultant to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an AI-powered microgrid project. Before entering academia, he spent more than 4 years at the London Stock Exchange Group, working on a high-performance, low-latency exchange system, gaining strong expertise in scalable software architectures and real-time systems.
Research Interests
Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)
Trustworthy AI with interpretable models for critical decision-making in health and infrastructure.
Digital Health
AI-assisted diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance prediction, point-of-care devices.
AI & IoT Intelligent Systems
AIoT architectures for real-time sensing, edge AI, smart monitoring and automation.
AI-Powered Energy Systems
Predictive load forecasting, renewable energy management, intelligent smart grid operations.
Digital Transformation for the Green Energy Transition in Sri Lanka
Multidisciplinary Approaches for National Development in Sri Lanka through Advances in Science and Green Technology, YSF Thematic Publication 2026, p. 722
Book Link ↗Deep Learning-Based Regional Electricity Demand Prediction Using Smart Meter Data in Sri Lanka
IEEE Access, 2025
10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3677106
Fusing data from CT deep learning, CT radiomics and peripheral blood immune profiles to diagnose lung cancer in a cohort of patients experiencing symptoms
eBioMedicine, vol. 125, p. 106173, 2026
doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106173
TransAMR: An Interpretable Transformer Model for Accurate Prediction of Antimicrobial Resistance Using Antibiotic Administration Data
IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 75337–75350, 2023
doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3296221
Mapping the evidence of the effects of environmental factors on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the non-built environment
Environment International, vol. 202, p. 109634, 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109634
An in silico drug repurposing pipeline to identify drugs with the potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication
Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, vol. 43, no. 101387, 2023
doi: 10.1016/j.imu.2023.101387
Explainable deep learning approach for multilabel classification of antimicrobial resistance with missing labels
IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 113073–113085
Rectified Classifier Chains for Prediction of Antibiotic Resistance from Multi-labelled Data with Missing Labels
IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, vol. 20, pp. 625–636
doi: 10.1109/TCBB.2022.3148577
VIDIIA Hunter diagnostic platform: a low-cost, smartphone connected, artificial intelligence-assisted COVID-19 rapid diagnostics approved for medical use in the UK
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 2023
doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1144001
An Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Portable Low-Cost Device for the Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2
Electronics, vol. 10, no. 17, 2021
doi: 10.3390/electronics1017206
Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (ai-LAMP) for Rapid and Reliable Detection of SARS-CoV-2
Viruses, vol. 12, no. 9, 2020
doi: 10.3390/v12090972
A blockchain-based database management system
The Knowledge Engineering Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35, p. e20, 2020
Mapping the evidence of the effects of environmental factors on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the non-built environment: Protocol for a systematic evidence map
Environment International, 2022
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107707
A Portable Remote Medical Consultation System for the Use of Distant Rural Communities
Rajshahi University Journal of Science and Engineering, vol. 43, pp. 81–87, 2015
A Lightweight Modular Pipeline for Edge-Optimized Leaf Disease Detection
2025 IEEE 19th International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS), Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2026, pp. 395–400
doi: 10.1109/ICIIS69028.2026.11450780 · IEEE Xplore ↗
Wi-Fi CSI Based Indoor Fire Detection System
2025 IEEE 19th International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS), Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2026
doi: 10.1109/ICIIS69028.2026.11453560 · IEEE Xplore ↗
AI Powered Wireless Stethoscope for Real-Time Asthma Detection
2025 IEEE 19th International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS), Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2026
doi: 10.1109/ICIIS69028.2026.11450865 · IEEE Xplore ↗
Deep Learning Models for Automatic Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis
2025 IEEE 19th International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS), Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2026
doi: 10.1109/ICIIS69028.2026.11450881 · IEEE Xplore ↗
GAN-Based Leaf Image Inpainting for Occlusion Recovery
2nd International Conference on Digital Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture, Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka, 2025
Predictive Air Quality Monitoring System with Adaptive Sampling and 4G LTE
6th International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC), Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Feb. 2026
doi: 10.1109/ICARC63952.2026.11455061 · IEEE Xplore ↗
Modified Boundary Scan Cell for Faster Continuous Monitoring
2025 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), pp. 66–71
doi: 10.1109/MERCon67903.2025.11217119 · IEEE Xplore ↗
NB-AirStream: Advancing Air Quality Monitoring with LoRa and NB-IoT Integration
2024 IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Computing and Communication Technologies (CONECCT)
doi: 10.1109/CONECCT62155.2024.10677140
Backward Feature Elimination for Accurate Pathogen Recognition Using Portable Electronic Nose
2020 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), pp. 1–5
doi: 10.1109/ICCE46568.2020.9043043
Improved Pathogen Recognition using Non-Euclidean Distance Metrics and Weighted kNN
2019 6th International Conference on Biomedical and Bioinformatics Engineering, pp. 118–124
doi: 10.1145/3375923.3375956
Blockchain-based Database Management System for IoT Applications Connected with Cloud
3rd Symposium on Distributed Ledger Technology, Griffith University, 2018
Multimodal Signatures for Enhanced Lung Cancer Detection and Interpretability
The Early Detection of Cancer Conference, CRUK, 2023
University of Jaffna
- Wireless and Mobile Communications (2023–Present)
- Modern Mobile Communication Architecture and Applications (2023–Present)
- Communication Network Design (2025–Present)
- Optical Communication (2018, 2025–Present)
- Introduction to Electronics and Instrumentation (2018, 2025)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Design Proficiency (2023–Present)
- EEE Research Project I, II, III (2024–Present)
- EEE Design Proficiency (2023–Present)
- Design and Prototyping (2026)
- Supervising AI and IoT-related undergraduate projects
University of Surrey
- Advanced Signal Processing (Tutor)
- Electronics Lab (Lab Demonstrator)
- Level 2 Teambuilding Workshop
- Computer and Digital Logic (Python Lab)
- C++ and Object-Oriented Design
- Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing
- Transfer Learning for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection
- Exploring BioBERT in the Generation of Radiology Reports from Chest X-Rays
- Glaucoma Prediction Based on Retina Images
Visiting Lectures
IoT and Embedded Systems
Dept. of Information and Communication Technology, Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
IoT in Emerging Trends in Computer Science
Dept. of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Jaffna
Network Application Design, Human-Computer Interaction
Dept. of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Jaffna
Other (Voluntary)
- Resource Person for free Data Science certificate course, UKI (2025)
- Resource Person for free industrial AIoT Bootcamp by Senzmate – Generative AI and LLMs in Practice: From Theory to Applications (2024)
Consulting & Advisory
AI and Digital Infrastructure Consultant – Asian Development Bank (ADB)
AI-Powered Smart Grid Pilot Implementation: AI-based grid control and market model in collaboration with LECO and three national Engineering Faculties. Focuses on predictive load forecasting, renewable energy management, and intelligent market operations.
BOI Infrastructure Consultant
Feasibility study on infrastructure readiness (power systems, water supply, road network) to support five new BOI investment zones: Paranthan, Mankulam, Kankesanthurai, Trincomalee, and Iranavila.
Machine Learning Consultant – Senzmate
AI models for predictive maintenance, vegetable price forecasting, anomaly detection in warehouses, and GAN-based hair restyle projects.
Research Engagement
Research Associate – Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King's College London
Developed multimodal data analysis to detect lung cancer using exosomes, radiomics, and immune data.
Post Graduate Researcher (PhD) – CVSSP, University of Surrey
Collaborated on AI-Assisted Portable Device for SARS-CoV-2 detection (Lancaster, Brunel, Vidiia); Low-Cost Portable Molecular Diagnostic Platform for Poultry Pathogens (LMDP); CONTENT4ALL project for sign language broadcasting.
Industry Roles
Specialist Software Engineer – London Stock Exchange Group
C++, Agile, Python, Oracle DB, OOP, Design Patterns, Performance Improvement, Fault Tolerance, Behaviour-driven development.
Senior Software Engineer – London Stock Exchange Group
C++, Python, PL/SQL, JAVA, Oracle DB, FIX Protocol, Design Patterns, Fault Tolerance.
Software Engineer – MillenniumIT, London Stock Exchange Group
C++, Perl scripting, PL/SQL, Oracle DB, Java, OOP, FIX to FPML test tool development.
University of Jaffna – Administrative Roles
- Deputy Proctor, Faculty of Engineering (2023 Aug – Present)
- Career Guidance Coordinator, Faculty of Engineering (Dec 2024 – Present)
- Coordinator, Renewable Energy Park, University of Jaffna (2024 Aug – Present)
- Member, Sports Advisory Board, University of Jaffna (Feb 2025 – Present)
- Faculty Board Representative to the Senate (Jan 2024 – Present)
- Member, Social Reconciliation Centre (SRC) (2025 Aug – Present)
- IESL Liaison Officer, Faculty of Engineering (2025 – Present)
- Coordinator, SLT–University of Jaffna MoU and Collaboration (2023 Aug – 2024 Dec)
- Coordinator, LECO–University of Jaffna MoU and Collaboration (2024 – Present)
- Coordinator, Mindox–University of Jaffna MoU and Collaboration (2025 – Present)
- Senior Treasurer, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Society (EEES) (2024 Aug – Present)
- Internal Quality Assurance Cell member, Faculty of Engineering (Jul 2023 – Present)
- Academic Development and Planning Committee (ADPC) member, Faculty of Engineering (Aug 2025 – Present)
Conferences & Events
- Editor, International Conference on Engineering, University of Jaffna, 2026
- Coordinator, Faculty of Engineering Career Fair (2025)
- Advisory Committee member, IEEE ComSoc Summer School Series, University of Jaffna (August 2025)
- Coordinator, Faculty Orientation Programme for new intake (2024)
- Finance Chair, 2nd International Conference on Digital Technologies and Sustainable Agriculture (May 2025)
- Program Leader, Shaping Futures Conference, Doctoral College, University of Surrey (Jun 2021)
- Co-chair, Local Organising Committee, 9th ICIAfS International Conference (Dec 2018)
Other Leadership
- Students/Young Professionals Activities Coordinator, IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) Sri Lanka Section (2024 Jan – 2024 Dec)
- Lead Ambassador, IEEE R10 Adhoc Committee on Entrepreneurship and Innovation – Sri Lanka Section (2024)
- Reviewer: IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, IEEE Access, IET Biometrics Journal
Research Grants
ERASMUS+ Grant – ENSURE Project EUR 61,579
Project Coordinator for "Empowering NetZero Skills for Sri Lanka's Sustainable and Resilient Future (ENSURE)" in collaboration with seven national institutions and four international universities. Dec 2025 – Dec 2027.
NSF Grant – Portable Emission Measurement Device LKR 4.8 Million
Co-PI for development of a portable emission measurement device. Jan 2026 – Dec 2026.
UBL Research Grant – IoT Footfall & Facial Recognition (RDC/AHEAD/RA3/JFN/UBL/CA/25) LKR 500,000
IoT-powered footfall and advanced facial recognition system with edge-AI deployment and prototype validation.
UBL Research Grant – Explainable AI for Disease Prediction (RDC/AHEAD/RA3/JFN/UBL/CA/14) LKR 400,000
Explainable AI framework for disease prediction with advanced model interpretability techniques.
Awards & Recognition
University of Surrey Studentship: CVSSP & Zoetis Full Scholarship
Successfully secured a full scholarship with tuition fee and stipend to carry out PhD based on proposal. Jan 2019 – Mar 2022.
Scholarship – Conception X Program Scholarship
Competitive deep-tech entrepreneurship program from leading UK PhD programs. Validated AI-based disease prediction tools, conducted market analysis, and developed startup business models. Mar 2022 – Nov 2022.
Dialog Merit Scholarship for Academic Excellence 1st in Jaffna District
Ranked 1st in Jaffna District for GCE Advanced Level Mathematics Stream 2008. August 2009.
University Honours for Athletics – SLUG 2013
Represented the University of Moratuwa in Javelin Throw at SLUG-2013, where the university emerged as the overall champion.
Winner – MIT Hack4theFuture (AI & Future of Healthcare track) Winner
Diabetic Retinopathy prediction product for personalised home diagnosis was selected as the winner. Nov 2020.
Second Runner-up – McGinnis Venture Competition 2nd Runner-up
E-carebetics prototype for predicting Retinopathy using XAI model, mobile app, and easy-to-build fundus camera with innovative illumination. Mar 2022.
IoT System for Indoor Air Quality Monitoring 1st Place
First place in the IEEE IAS Undergraduate Student Design Contest.
Intelligent Dental Care Kit Bronze
Bronze medal at the IEEE R10 HTC 2024 Innovation Challenge.
AIoT Driven Green House Monitoring and Predictive Analysis
Selected to showcase in the Sri Lankan AI Expo under the University Category.