I will be teaching the above course in Fall 2023 at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA.  More details about this course can be found on the course webpage. 

[L14] Intelligent Control and Optimization Techniques for Next-Generation Complex Dynamic Interconnected Systems, Stevens Institute of Technology, Spring-2023.

[L13] Intelligent Control and Optimization Techniques for Next-Generation Complex Dynamic Interconnected Systems, New York University, Spring-2023.

[L12] Leveraging ChatGPT for Optimization: Learning, Solving, and Discovering Opportunities, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2023.

[L11] Robust Control using Integral Quadratic Constraints, EE60655: Advanced Control Systems, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2023.

[L10] Optimization of Networks: Network Flow Problems, EE 60551: Optimization, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2023.

[L9] Optimization of Networks: Network Simplex, EE 60551: Optimization, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2023. 

[L8] Introduction to Matlab and Simulink, EE40455: Control Systems, University of Notre Dame, Fall-2022.

[L7] Optimization of Networks: Network Flow Problems, EE 60551: Optimization, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2022.

[L6] Optimization of Networks: Network Simplex, EE 60551: Optimization, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2022.

[L5] Control of Networks: Stability and Stabilization, EE60655: Advanced Control Systems, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2022.

[L4] Model Based Networked Control Systems Design, EE60655: Advanced Control Systems, University of Notre Dame, Spring-2022.

[L3] Introduction to Matlab and Simulink, EE40455: Control Systems, University of Notre Dame, Fall-2021.

[L2] Control and Optimization of Autonomous Systems, Conference Workshop: International Conference on Innovation and Emerging Technologies (ICIET), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, 2021.

[L1] Current Trends in Control and Optimization of Complex Autonomous Systems, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Society Workshop, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Peradeniya, 2021.

As a student, through high school to grad school, I always enjoyed volunteering to teach fellow students challenging subject material. This habit of mine not only improved my teaching skills but also allowed me to identify and enjoy the benefits of teaching, such as the ensuing mental satisfaction, the gain in self-confidence, and the reinforcement it provides to my knowledge. Therefore, I believe my inclination to teach and its rewards played a massive part in my academic and research success.

I got my first formal teaching experience when I worked as a private tutor during 2011-2017 (i.e., during my undergraduate and postgraduate years at the University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka). On this job, I taught subjects like Physics, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Chemistry for a total of 21 students (one-on-one basis) to prepare each of them for their Advanced Level examination - which is the highly competitive and sole university entrance criterion used in Sri Lanka. The material I had to teach was typical college-level 1st and 2nd-year material. While I was able to guide each student to achieve a grade of A- or higher, I also learned the importance of planning the material, conveying the fundamentals, and solving a sufficient amount of problems to ensure the student has successfully retained and is capable of accurately recalling the learned concepts.

I regularly got another formal teaching opportunity throughout my undergraduate years at the University of Peradeniya. During the study week before each mid- and end-semester exams, the student union organizes a series of revision classes for all the major courses. Each revision class focuses on a particular course taking one whole day (∼ 12 hours) and is conducted by a student taking the same course. Due to my good academic standing and reputation for being an effective teacher in this constrained setting, I was invited to conduct at least three revision classes each mid- and end-semester. In such a revision class, my modus operandi is to derive and explain all the key fundamentals learned during the course while emphasizing how different concepts interconnect and can be applied to address real-world problems. I immensely enjoyed doing these classes because the audience, usually comprised of 50 - 350 colleagues, was always friendly and often led to informative discussions. 

After graduation, I joined the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya as a Temporary Instructor assigned to the Control and Automation Lab. During this period, I experienced different teaching assistant (TA) duties, like conducting discussion classes, office hours, and lab sessions for many courses related to control systems, signal processing, and robotics. During this time, I also designed and implemented two new lab setups for students to learn how analog and digital controllers can be implemented using simple integrated circuit components like op-amps and micro-controllers. Over this period, I learned how practical experience in labs could help the students fully grasp the concepts learned in the classroom. Moreover, I enjoyed the creative suggestions and intriguing questions that the students have to offer.

While doing my graduate studies at Boston University (BU), I did similar TA duties in two core engineering courses: Energy and Thermodynamics (undergraduate-level) and Probability with Statistical Applications (graduate level), two semesters each. Moreover, in the latter course, once I even got the opportunity to teach the class for two weeks. During this period, even though I mainly did stick to a series of presentations that the course instructor (who is also my Ph.D. supervisor) had carefully prepared, I made sure to share my own explanations, interpretations, and illustrative examples of the material that I taught so as to help the students grasp the course content effectively. Through the positive feedback I received, I was thrilled to learn about the students’ appreciation for my teaching style.

During my postdoctoral studies at the University of Notre Dame (UND), I volunteered in a project where I collaborated with two engineers at Matlab to build simulation-based lab experiments (via Simulink) for an undergraduate control systems course. For this course, I specifically developed two Matlab-based experiments on delays (sensory information and actuation signal) and sampled-data systems. For the same course, I also created a demo to show how “feedback control” applies not only for conventional time-driven linear/non-linear systems but also for event-driven systems modeled by Petri nets. I immensely enjoyed making these simulation-based labs and demos because they enable students to understand the basic control systems concepts better and conduct relevant experiments on their laptops without having to access expensive (and limited) physical experimental setups.

During this period, I also got the opportunity to give a number of invited lectures for two graduate-level courses: Advanced Control Systems and Optimization. My lectures focused on introducing the students to several exciting and widely used control and optimization problems/solutions related to large-scale networked systems and their solutions. This experience further encouraged me to pursue a career in academia.

[T10] Probability with Statistical Applications (EK 500), Boston University, Fall-2020.

[T9] Energy and Thermodynamics (ME 304), Boston University, Spring-2020.

[T8] Probability with Statistical Applications (EK 500), Boston University, Fall-2019.

[T7] Energy and Thermodynamics (ME 304), Boston University, Spring-2019.

[T6] Adaptive Signal Processing (EE515), University of Peradeniya, Fall-2016.

[T5] Industrial Robotics (EE536), University of Peradeniya, Fall-2016.

[T4] Digital Signal Processing (EE325), University of Peradeniya, Fall-2016.

[T3] Non-linear and Multi-variable Systems (EE539), University of Peradeniya, Spring-2016.

[T2] Estimation and Identification (EE534), University of Peradeniya, Spring-2016.

[T1] Automatic Control (EE323), University of Peradeniya, Spring-2016.