DrKasun De Silva Wijayaratna

Dr Kasun Wijayaratna is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He is a practical, application focussed transport researcher and teacher with over 14 years of industry and research experience, publishing in a vast array of fields extending across network modelling, traffic management, parking and car-sharing. During his time in industry (2009 –2012), Kasun worked for the consulting firm Cardno as a Traffic Modeller and Engineer. He has been involved in delivering over a dozen local and state government planning projects, specifically providing microsimulation models and modelling advice. Kasun then returned to UNSW to complete a PhD (2016) titled, “Modelling Disrupted Transport Network Behaviour, extending knowledge on network modelling and driver behaviour. Kasun then continued on as a Research Associate in the Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI) between 2016 and 2019 working on a number of industry linked research projects and securing in excess of $1 million in industry research funding. Since joining UTS, he has led a research program dedicated to developing and evidence base and guidance documentation for the implementation and evaluation of shared road infrastructure and has secured in excess of $1.5 million in funding from State and Local Governments. 

Kasun’s primary research interest surrounds the concepts of reliability and vulnerability of transport networks with a particular focus on travel behaviour under different information scenarios. He has published in excess of 50 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers during his time as an academic with relevant papers investigating risk attitudes of travellers towards ITS systems and the effectiveness of ramp metering on the Sydney motorway network. Kasun is also an experienced teacher, having been involved in course content development and delivery since 2012 at UNSW and lecturing and coordinating undergraduate and postgraduate courses since 2016. At UTS he is the subject coordinator for 48370 – Roads and Transport Engineering and 49102 – Traffic and Transportation. He has been identified as an innovator within the tertiary education system transforming delivery to an evolving student body.

Qualifications and affiliations

• PhD (Civil Engineering, Transport Modelling), University of New South Wales, 2016
• Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering, Honours 1), University of New South Wales, 2011
• Bachelor of Commerce (Finance with Distinction), University of New South Wales, 2011
• Member of AITPM
• Member of ITE

Awards and achievements

• Kasun received the 2016 SIDRA Solutions Postgraduate Award as the most outstanding postgraduate student from a tertiary institution in Australia or New Zealand based on his contribution to the profession of transport engineering. This award was sponsored by the Institute of Transport Engineers and SIDRA Solutions and considered all PhD candidates and early career researchers in the field of transport engineering within Australia and New Zealand.
• In 2014, Kasun received the student research regional prize of New South Wales/ACT for the most outstanding and practical postgraduate research project sponsored by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and Roads Australia.
• In 2012, Kasun was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award (AWA) and the Engineering Research Award (ERA) scholarships. These awards withstood the extent of his candidature and were valued at approximately $30,000 per annum