Ashu Marasinghe

Chandrajith Ashuboda "Ashu" Marasinghe (born 25 May 1971) is a Sri Lankan politician, professor and academic. He served as an advisor to Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe and also served as a former member of parliament of Sri Lanka. He was a national list member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka proposed by United National Front following the 2015 Sri Lankan parliamentary election and subsequently served in the 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka as an MP.

Marasinghe was educated at Nalanda Central College and Ananda College, before attending the University of Colombo, where he earned a B.Sc. in physics and mathematics in 1997. He later studied computer science and engineering at the University of Aizu, Japan, where he received his M.Sc. (2001) and PhD. (2004). He has taught at the International University of Japan and was formerly an associate professor at Nagaoka University of Technology.

In December 2022, he resigned from his position as Presidential Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs and re-appointed in the same post in February 2023.

Political Life
Marasinghe is a Sri Lankan politician and former Member of Parliament. He has served in various capacities, including as the Former Assistant Chief Opposition Whip of the Parliament, Former Monitoring MP of Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Science and Technology, Former Assistant Chief Government Whip of the Parliament, Former Chairman-Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education and Human Resources Development, Former Chairman – Sectoral Oversight Sub Committee on Power & Renewable Energy, and Former Chairman – Sectoral Oversight Sub Committee on Traffic Management. He was also the Former Chairman of the Public Finance Sub Committee on Re-structuring of Sri Lankan Airline. In addition, he has held several key positions in parliamentary friendship associations, including serving as the Former President of the Sri Lanka Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, Former Secretary of the Sri Lanka Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association, Former Secretary of the Sri Lanka Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Association, and Former Secretary of the Sri Lanka Qatar Parliamentary Friendship Association. He has also served as the Former Vice President of the Sri Lanka Australia Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Research Interest
Prof. Ashu Marasinghe has a diverse range of research interests, spanning various fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cinematic Engineering, Computer Graphics and Multimedia, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Public Health Informatics, Smart-Governance, Social Informatics, and Kansei Engineering. His expertise in these areas allows him to explore the intersection between technology and society, with a focus on improving human experiences and solving real-world problems. He has conducted extensive research in the development of intelligent systems that use data analysis and machine learning to enhance decision-making processes, as well as in the design of immersive digital environments that engage users in new and exciting ways. Additionally, his work in public health informatics and smart governance has contributed to the development of innovative solutions that leverage technology to improve public health outcomes and promote citizen participation in government decision-making.

Academic Publications
Marasinghe has an extensive research publication record covering a broad range of topics, including Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life, Cinematic Engineering, Computer Graphics and Multimedia, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Emotional Intelligence, Software Engineering, Public Health Informatics, Neuroscience, Neural Network, Fuzzy System, Intelligent Control System, Multi Agent System, Ubiquitous System, U/E/Smart-Governance, Social Informatics, Computational Ecology, Knowledge Technology, Cybernetics, and Kansei/Affective Engineering. His publications reflect his diverse research interests and interdisciplinary approach to solving complex problems through the application of cutting-edge technology. His contributions in the field of artificial intelligence, in particular, have advanced the development of intelligent systems capable of learning and decision-making. His work in the area of public health informatics has also been instrumental in developing digital solutions to promote better health outcomes. Furthermore, his research in neuroscience, multi-agent systems, and intelligent control systems has the potential to enhance human-robot interaction, while his work in social informatics and smart governance has explored the use of technology to improve citizen participation in government decision-making.

Research
Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan. Head of Kansei Informatics Lab. Administrate and guide student research activities in Artificial Intelligent, Artificial Life, Cinematic Engineering, Computer Graphics and Multimedia, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Public Health Informatics, Neuroscience, Neural Network, Fuzzy System, Intelligent Control System, Multi Agent System, Ubiquitous System, U-Governance, Social Informatics, and Kansei Engineering
 * D-Maru Go Professor/ Associate Professor, Nagaoka University of Technology

The University of Aizu, Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Japan; October 2004- September 2006. Various research tasks including research in Software Engineering, Kansei Engineering, Computational Ecology, and related fields. Administrate and guide student research activities in Software Engineering, Knowledge Technology, Cybernetics, and Kansei/Affective Technology in the lab with Prof. M. Osano.
 * JSPS Research Associate, Software Engineering Laboratory

The Japan society for the promotion of Science (JSPS) provides fellowships to researchers of other countries who have recently earned their doctoral degrees. Each year, around 1,600 overseas researchers in fields of the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences are invited through a competitive selection process to come to Japan (quoted from the application guide for JSPS Fellowship Program). Of the 1,600 JSPS fellows 4 researchers are selected and featured in JSPS quarterly as a model researcher.
 * Selected as a model researcher & featured in Winter 2005 No. 14 issue of JSPS Quarterly

The University of Aizu, Fukushima Japan; October 2001 – September 2004 Responsible for various research tasks including research in Kansei Engineering, computational linguistics, acoustic phonetics and second-language speech acquisition
 * Research assistant, The Graduate Department of Information Systems