Dulini Yasara Mudunkotuwa

Educator/Teacher, Engineer, Foodie, Inventor

She is currently the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, where she shares her expertise and passion for STEM education with students and colleagues alike. Her love for STEM education stems from her belief in the importance of problem-based learning and challenge-based learning. She is a strong advocate for these approaches, which encourage students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through hands-on activities and real-world challenges. In addition to her work in academia, she is also a dedicated TED translator and coordinator for the Sinhala language. She has been involved in the TED translation program for over a decade and was a key contributor to the first-ever Sinhala translation of TED talks. Her research interests are focused on computational fluid dynamics, numerical weather prediction, data assimilation, and mechanical engineering design. Her expertise in these areas has led to her involvement in several high-profile research projects, including the Green Network of Excellence Program Arctic Climate Change Research Project (GRENE) and the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability Research Project (ArCS) by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) during her doctoral studies at the University of Tokyo.

Innovations, STEM education, science diplomacy, community service

As educators we have a responsibility to nurture unconventional thinkers who will someday provide creative solutions to the problems we face in the world. I promote problem based and challenge based learning in STEM education to foster creativity in students.

Computational Fluid Dynamics, Data Assimilation, fluid dynamics, innovations, Machine designing, Mechanical Engineering, STEM education, Weather prediction

My passion for TED talks has been with me for a long time, and it is a passion that has only grown stronger over the years. I am constantly inspired by the diverse range of speakers and topics that TED covers, and I believe that the platform has the power to bring about meaningful change in the world. My TED story began in 2011 when I had the opportunity to contribute to the first-ever Sinhala translation of a TED talk. As a TED translator, I was tasked with the important responsibility of making these incredible talks accessible to a wider audience, and it was a challenge that I eagerly embraced. Since then, I have been an active member of the TED community, serving as a TED translator for over a decade. I was proud to be appointed as the first-ever TED Sinhala language coordinator, a role that allowed me to coordinate the efforts of translators and ensure that TED talks were translated accurately and efficiently. Today, I am proud to be a speaker of TEDx University of Sri Jayewardenepura, an event that brings together some of the brightest minds and most innovative thinkers in our community.

Probably cooking.