Kesara Wimal is a PhD researcher in the Department of Computing at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), working under the supervision of Dr Gary Cullen. His doctoral research, titled “Hardware-Assisted Blockchain Framework for IoT Device Authentication and Secure Communication”, focuses on enhancing IoT security through the integration of hardware-based trust mechanisms with blockchain technology.
Kesara holds a Master’s degree in Advanced Software Engineering from the University of Westminster, UK, where he graduated with Distinction and achieved the highest score for his research project in 2023. He also completed a Master of Business Administration at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, attaining Distinction and securing the highest mark for his MBA thesis in 2021. Prior to that, he earned a First Class Honours BSc in Computing Software Development from the University of Wolverhampton, UK.
Before commencing his PhD, Kesara worked as an Assistant Lecturer at SLIIT City Uni, Sri Lanka, where he taught a range of undergraduate modules and supervised numerous final-year projects. He also has over six years of industry experience as a software engineer and startup founder, leading large-scale projects involving blockchain, cloud computing, and web application development.
His research interests include cybersecurity, blockchain, distributed systems, peer-to-peer networks, and entrepreneurship. Kesara has received multiple awards for his academic and research excellence, including the Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Industrial and Information Systems (ICIIS 2023) and a Gold Medal for best research paper from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2022.
LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/kesarawimal
